Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Remastered
by Emperor Serperior
Summary: This is my own recreation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the form of a fanfic, with added realism, more detail into the personal lives of the characters, and an overall more suspenseful storyline. I am fully taking any requests at the present time, and greatly appreciate any you have to offer.
1. Chapter 1: Dumpster's Opening

Hello readers, I present to you a retelling of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This story, aside from additional content, is partly a showing of how the series would be with the depiction of the lives the main cast had outside of being Power Rangers, and if it was aimed at older audiences.

I hope you enjoy, and leave a review if you would like.

**DISCLAIMER: **It is quite obvious I do not own the Power Rangers franchise.

* * *

_" You don't think this guy is funny?"_

_ "Not really, he's too retarded. XD " - _Random Quote

* * *

The vastness of space consumed the outer fields of view, casting the infinite array of stars, nebula, and other things within the vision of the two astronauts that slowly explored the surface of Earth's moon.

Both men took their steps carefully, with no detailed path to their destination in mind. Before they continued onward, the two noticed a canister sticking out of the dirt.

"Hey Frank," the taller of the duo whispered. "What the hell is that thing?" His comrade merely shrugged in response, and gestured for his friend to open it.

_I probably shouldn't be doing this,_ he thought with a small breath. The astronaut placed his hands on the "lid", and hesitantly removed it from its place.

Without warning, a massive flare of red light blinded the man, and caused him to fall over sideways, gradually knocking him out cold.

* * *

_Finally,_ Rita Repulsa said to herself within her mind. _I'm free of this prison. _The sorceress felt an overwhelming sense of both joy and relief, as she teleported her minions on the surface around the dumpster, and slowly rose out of the container which had imprisoned her for so long.

"Ahhhhhh! After ten thousand years I'm free!" Rita shouted with a volume so loud, it could shatter nearby glass. "Oh, how happy I am to finally get out of there!"

Rita noticed two humanoids garbed in some sort of white fabric, both seeming stunned at the sight of her and the minions nearby. "Who are y-" Rita was about to say, before recalling all that had transpired during her imprisonment. "Ah, I get it, humanity finally reached a space faring state. That means one thing…"

The alien witch closed her eyes, and concentrated her energy into manifesting the appropriate tool for her next desire.

Within less than a second, Rita's magic wand appeared in her right hand in full clarity. "Hope you don't mind going back to your world without a ship!" Rita cackled, pointing her wand at the two men.

The orb of Rita's wand glowed with a light crimson hue, with a bolt of lightning shooting out of it less than a second later. The bolts of energy struck the two space explorers, and sent them flying miles away from the moon.

"I still got it," Rita snickered to herself with a sadistic grin on her face, watching the humans burning up in Earth's atmosphere. "Seeing those two on the moon means one thing; it's time to conquer Earth!"

Rita then saw her top soldier, Goldar, approaching her lazily as if he had a pessimistic inquiry. "My queen," the ape-like entity began to say with a tone that sounded exhausted. "It seems the human race has evolved during all the years we were locked away. They can now travel into space, and it seems that they might be able to one day colonize beyond this world of theirs."

Rita gave Goldar a look of utter smugness, and shook her head at the blatant displays of his impulses to slay their opponents. "Goldar, you will certainly get your chances to take the lives of humans once more," she told her elite warrior. "If there's one thing I know about them, it's that their civilizations will never be strong enough to defeat me. I said that I will own this universe eventually and now is my perfect chance to prove it. Now let's get to the lunar palace, and take what's rightfully mine! We'll start with destroying the human race!"

* * *

_ Times sure change on this world,_ thought the automation known as Alpha Five, sweeping the interior of the vast, seemingly empty chamber that he and his ally had called the Command Center. _The twentieth century has had quite some memorable things happen, and human culture has really its changes-_

Alpha nearly jumped at the sound of Zordon appearing within his energy tube, and turned to see his old friend floating inside the large veil. "Zordon, don't scare me like that!" Alpha gasped in shock.

"I am sorry, Alpha," Zordon said to his long time companion. "But I must inform you of what has happened. My long range sensors have detected that the dumpster has been opened, and that can only mean one thing: our old nemesis Rita Repulsa has escaped."

Alpha gazed at Zordon in disbelief, dropping the broom he was holding in complete angst of what he had just heard. "Please tell me you're joking…" the automation told him with a flat tone in his disembodied voice.

"I sincerely wish this was not true, Alpha," Zordon responded unhappily. "But the readings my sensors have given are not false, _Rita is free._"

As if to coincidentally prove the interdimensional being's point, numerous vibrations rocked the Command Center with a force that caused Alpha to trip and fall backwards onto the floor.

"As I thought," Zordon continued. "These prophecies never lie, and as such, I must initiate the plan I made upon sealing Rita in the dumpster. Alpha, bring me the five teenagers of Angel Grove that the prophecy spoke of."

Alpha rose to his feet, though incapable of facial expressions, one could tell that he was feeling both angst and disappointment. "Zordon, are you serious?!" Alpha exclaimed in disagreement.

"Yes, you must find them," Zordon told him with a stern look. "Either we do this, or risk losing the entire world to Rita."

* * *

A gentle amiable breeze swept the well-praised city of Angel Grove, as the sun began to add its light to the normally fine Californian weather.

As usual, the cheerful students of Angel Grove High School were arriving to the youth center along with the younger pre-teen children that joined them in their studying, swimming, sports, gymnastics, and the martial arts and dance classes.

Among them, the five notable teens, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, Jason Lee Scott, Billy Cranston, and Kimberly Hart had gathered for a special event that was scheduled for this day, one that was undoubtedly memorable. Though something else was laying in wait…

"Right kick," Jason commanded, motioning his legs so his students would follow. "Left kick, and finish!" Jason smiled as his students performed their finishing moves, and all bowed to him before he could say anything else.

"Excellent job, guys," Jason said to them with a grin. "I'm looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Dismissed."

Jason's students quickly left the area, allowing him to grab a towel and join his friends at their preferred table, where all of them happened to be sitting already. "You're a very impressive teacher, Jason," Trini said optimistically. "Why not have Billy join your class?"

Billy quickly straightened his glasses and laughed nervously. "No thanks," he told them respectfully. "It isn't really my forte, I'm fine with the extracurricular activities I got now." Billy quickly looked down at his text book, and continued writing down notes on a paper.

"If you say so," Trini exhaled casually, taking a sip of her drink. "I still think-"

"That he'll need it?" said a rebellious male voice. The group turned to look at the two individuals that were given the nicknames Bulk and Skull, the well-known bullies that had a history of committing highly unethical deeds.

"He's too easy to beat up, after all," Bulk chuckled arrogantly. "Easy targets get boring, you know?"

Jason could see Zack getting the urge to stand up and punch Bulk in the face already, but motioned for his best friend to remain seated. "Hey Bulk," Zack called out to their adversary. "Why don't you get your fat ass out of here and leave us alone? And take your stupid friend with you!"

Bulk gave Zack a grin that told him he clearly wasn't intimidated in the slightest, but Skull seemed clearly irritated. "What did you just call me you break dancing-" Bulk grabbed his friend by the collar of his jacket, giving his friend an impression similar to what Jason gave Zack.

"Relax," Bulk told his side-kick. "We already got enough infractions for beating up other students in the youth center as it is, and remember, we're going after bigger targets now."

"Fine!" Skull snorted defiantly. The five other teens glared at the duo of bullies, as the other occupants of the youth center were beginning to occasionally glance at them.

"You two can go away now," Kimberly told them. "So…can you just leave?"

"You didn't want me to leave last night, did you?" Bulk asked, taking a sip from his bottle of vodka. Skull laughing quietly behind his friend, doing everything he could to conceal it.

"Ew, I wouldn't get with you even if I was drunk!" she reacted rudely. "That's funny you say that, because you were actually drunk last night," Bulk retorted factually. "And you even kissed me too."

"Um, wait," Skull interjected. "She didn't know it was you, remember? She thought you were Link from the Legend of Zelda."

Bulk and Skull both laughed for a few minutes, triggering Kimberly to look down at the table in embarrassment. "But I…I didn't…" she mumbled unintelligibly.

"You two should get going," Jason said with a scornful tone. "Unless you want me to put you in a coma, I'm fine with that."

"Fine, we'll go," Bulk stated in false disappointment. But before leaving, Bulk turned his vodka bottle upside down, and poured what was left of it on the table. "Whoops…"

Skull then quickly grabbed a box of matches out of his left pocket, and lit one before anyone could react. Skull then dropped the burning match on the table, and ignited the combustible alcohol.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Bulk ordered breathlessly, running out the nearest exit.

Jason and Zack quickly threw their drinks over the small flames, and put them out instantly. "What's wrong with those two?" Zack growled in moderate anger, looking at Billy, who appeared to be in a state of complete emotional disarray.

"You alright, Billy?" Zack asked with concern. Billy pointed to the text books that he had bought everyone, along with various other objects that were distorted beyond recognition.

Zack slammed his fists on the table, and shook his head in rage. "Man, I just want to beat the crap out of those two!" Zack almost yelled.

"Zack, they're not worth it," Jason explained to him. "I don't like them either, but we have better things to do than waste our time on two pricks that are going to end up as street bums one day."

After his words were spoken, Jason noticed the lights in the youth center dimmed for a moment, and then shut off completely. "What-" Trini whispered in confusion.

The lights then reactivated once again, and lit up the youth center. "The power probably went out," Jason informed them. "But I wouldn-"

Jason then noticed an odd sight; not one person was within the building. "What the-?!" he tried to say, surveying the area with his eyes. "Where did everyone-"

"Go? I can answer that question, child," an odd male voice said from behind. "But I don't think it's worth the time, considering that I will turn you into a human rug."

Jason then turned around, and saw the interior of a firearm's barrel pointed at his face.


	2. Chapter 2: Adverse Introduction

Welcome to part 2. In this chapter, we see onward from the deadly situation that Jason was placed in, and are introduced to a mysterious, but misinformed individual. Then, we see Bulk and Skull doing what they do best, but encountering what could result in putting an end to their lives.

**DISCLAIMER:** It is quite obvious that I do not own the Power Rangers franchise and the only thing that I do own is the original characters I made.

* * *

"_ME NO UNDERSTAND IT!_" - Ash

* * *

Jason could feel the small droplets of sweat rolling down his face, as his mind raced for answers on how to deal with the situation. Taking a look at the man, he saw the individual's face, and could see the various scars and the deadly look in his olive-colored eyes.

"Trust me," Jason told him calmly. "You don't want to do this. The courts aren't going to let you go without giving you the death senten-"

"It is worth that risk," the black-robed man interrupted. "The death of Divatox's minions is too soothing for me to deny the opportunity."

Zack quickly hopped up from his seat, and kicked the man in the groin, causing him to drop his weapon. Jason quickly snatched the firearm off the floor and pointed it at the assassin, while Zack stood over him with a furious look on his face.

"Nice try, asshole!" Zack sneered, kicking the intruder in the face. "Hang on a sec," Jason said to his friend, gazing at the attacker. "Okay tough guy, who are you, who's Divatox and why are you here?" Jason questioned, pointing the gun at him.

"Seeing as how I can not be tracked by the Angel Grove police," he answered, briefly pausing. "I will tell you my name here, I am Lucien Lachance the second. As for the latter, you already know the answers to those."

"Uh, no we don't!" Zack interjected. "In case you didn't realize it, genius, we wouldn't be here in a youth center if we worked for...whoever the hell it is that you're talking about!"

Jason gave his friend a confident grin, and awaited Lucien to make another erroneous statement, although it didn't seem like he had the urge to give any further opposition.

"I saw that foul space pirate take control of you with my own eyes in the official vision," Lucien told Jason in frustration, his eyes narrowing angrily. "Even though I was only allowed to see you being lowered into the magma, I have enough knowledge to know that the brainwashing can not be reversed. And since this world is going to end, there's no need for you anyway."

Zack kicked Lucien in the stomach, and spat on his face one second later. "Now that was rather rude, don't you think?" he chuckled to the teenager with a grin.

"Man, you really don't have any common sense, do you?" Zack asked rhetorically. "You point a gun at my best friend and _DON'T_ expect me to want to treat you like crap? If anything, you're the bad guy here, so shut up, you worthless-"

"Zack, don't give this loser any more attention than he deserves," Jason instructed in a surprisingly relaxed manner. "Let's just have the police take him. Contrary to what he thinks, we all know he can't get away."

Before Jason could say anymore, blobs of grey light shaped like humanoid figures appeared in a circular pattern around the teens and the intruder.

The blobs quickly solidified, and became the stone statues that Lucien knew all too well, which happened to be the clay-made warriors that Rita simply dubbed Putty Patrollers.

* * *

"I thought I'd see these things again!" Lucien snarled, moving out of the teenagers grasp. Lucien swatted his weapon out of Jason's grasp, and leaped away from the martial arts expert, landing on one of the tables.

The teenagers quickly fought off the stone-like creatures on their own, while Lucien made use of his pistol and shot each of the Putties in either the head, spinal, or neck areas. One by one, each of Lucien's targets fell to the ground, and came apart like fragile stones being turned into ceramic dust.

Suddenly, veils of light, colored according to what was worn, encapsulated Jason and his friends, and then shot through the roof of the youth center.

"NO!" Lucien bellowed with an ear-piercing volume, watching them vanished. "Less than thirty minutes into this game, and the villains are already winning!"

The assassin watched the putties vanish in a similar fashion, and cringed at the thought of what might happen next.

"I know Divatox lacks that kind of teleportation device," he said to himself, knowing that he was alone. "And during this time period, she doesn't have any plans to come to this world. So whoever took Jason, Kimberly, and their friends obviously can't be Divatox...but from what I discovered, Rita Repulsa doesn't know about them yet either. So who could it be that took them?"

Lucien strolled over to the table that the teenagers were sitting at, and poked at the ashes that were once their school utilities.

"Maybe the fragment of enlightenment could assist me," he whispered, pulling the tiny silver glass shard out of his left robe pocket. "This will definitely cost me a considerable amount of energy. But with those children gone, I have no need to fight for the rest of today..."

Lucien placed the small substance on the table, and blinked as it popped like a firecracker. "I thought there wouldn't be clues on that scale-" he tried to say, before noticing the illusion of five glowing coins sitting in a horizontal line arrangement in the position where the shard was.

Each of the coins had a dinosaur carved into the upper facing, one had a mastodon carving, another had a pterodactyl, one contained a triceratops, the other with a saber-toothed tiger, and the last had a tyrannosaurus.

The angle of the rooms lighting also revealed that the coins shined a certain color, which wasn't a reflection of gold, but rather five different ones. And those five colors happened to be the exact coloration of the teenage group's outfits.

"Impossible...!" Lucien hissed in disbelief. "Nobody on this world can make power coins, and those teenagers certainly wouldn't be able to find them, unless..."

Lucien took a glance in the direction of where the teens might have teleported to, and took a deep breath as he heard the sounds of police sirens wailing outside.

"First I encounter Rita's minions," he whispered. "And now...this. Ah, it doesn't matter. Two of my comrades will surely have an idea of what's going on...and those gentlemen can surely shed some light on this..."

With his monolog finished, Lucien quickly fled into the shadows, and began his well-concealed escape. Once again, he vanished into the darkness, though his mission had become even more difficult.

* * *

"Have you located them, Alpha?" Zordon inquired, the angst present in his tone. _I thought World War II would have the last of these situations for us,_ Alpha thought as he inspected the readouts on the screens. _But today proved that never have I been more wrong in my entire career._

"I got them," he finally answered. "But while I was tracking them, I noticed something very disturbing."

"Are you referring to the Putty Patrollers? My sensors indicated that the very second they appeared," Zordon informed his assistant. "Rita already knows what we are planning."

_I knew his sensors needed an upgrade,_ Alpha thought within his digital mind in frustration. "No, Zordon, not them!" he hollered out, unable to control his outbursts any longer. "I found that the great descendant of Lucien Lachance was at the youth center!"

Zordon's eyes widened with an incredulous look forming on his face, as if he was having an interdimensional hallucination. "But how is that possible?" Zordon inquired, his voice having an unstable tone. "That human and his ancestor are both works of fiction, and there is no known technology that can manifest fictional characters into reality."

Alpha quickly typed a few commands into the computer console, and carefully read the results on the screens. "It _is_ possible, Zordon," he corrected his friend. "There is a record here that indicates Lord Zedd was capable of taking a figment of somebody nightmare and turning it into something that was real. Somebody must have used the principles of that spell and modified it to work on things of fiction."

Zordon floated in his energy tube for a moment, as if confused at what he heard. "Alpha, although I am familar with the original Lucien Lachance," he explained, pausing for a moment. "I know nothing of his descendant, and that means I can not formulate the correct plans for this situation. If he is more dangerous than his predecessor, then the five chosen warriors will be undoubtibly killed if I do not prepare the proper security measures. Is my assumption true?"

Alpha sighed explosively, and turned his back to the console he was using. "Yes and no," Alpha answered in irritation. "Unlike the one before him, this incarnation of Lucien Lachance does not kill for profit or to serve the one he worships. He thinks he's a vigilante and fights based on the orders of his leader. If he has legitimate proof that his target is good, he will break off the attacks, but that is highly unlikely to happen.

"He has skills, techniques, and mysticism capabilities that are all superior and more advanced than the original Lucien Lachance, and can fend off numerous opponents at once, and win the fight. What we can guarantee is that he will focus on Rita for now, but we should do everything we can to avoid putting our warriors in his path-"

Alpha was cut off by the sound of the teenagers hitting the floor of the Command Center, and squealed at the sight of them.

* * *

The temporary vertigo quickly left the teens, as each of them took a look at their surroundings. "I wouldn't call this a mall," Kimberly snickered in sarcasm, the others getting up and walking in slow random patterns.

Jason felt a sense of fascination, and a slight amount of fear due to the entry of the bizarre area. He could tell that the same was applying to his friends, with the exception of Billy, who was already advancing towards the computer consoles.

"This place is incredible!" Billy exclaimed in amazement, inspecting the consoles. "I'm not understanding this," Jason said with his arms crossed. "How did we get here, and why?"

"Just finding out where 'here' is would be enough to satisfy me..." Trini added, her tone being frightened and uneasy. As if in response to Billy's meddling with the controls, a robotic figure emerged from the shadows on the area.

"Hey, don't touch those!" the machine shouted, bumping into Kimberly by mistake. "Ow!" she yelped, turning around to see the perpetrator. "What where you're...going?"

Billy lost his focus in the computer consoles, and quickly walked over to the object. "Whoa...some kind of purely sentient automaton? I've never seen anything like this!" he gasped in awe.

The robot appeared as if he was going to say something, but stopped at the noise that resembled some form of static.

"Hello humans of youth," an authoritative voice boomed from the crystalline chamber. "I welcome you to the Command Center. I am the interdimensional being known as Zordon, and I see you have already encountered my assistant, Alpha Five."

The five teens within the chamber exchanged awkward looks, and directed their attention at Zordon. "Uh, yeah...like this isn't confusing me at all," Kimberly stated sarcastically. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"It is simple young lady," Zordon told her confidently. "Planet Earth has come under attack, and I have brought you here to help rescue and further protect your world."

Zack stepped in front of the group with a suspicious look on his face, and glared at Zordon as he prepared his response. "Oh really?" Zack growled scornfully. "You think we're actually going to fall for this trick?"

Though his facial features were fluid and vague, Jason could tell Zordon was amused at his friend's behavior. "A non-believer, I see," Zordon retorted. "The viewing globe can prove me correct, and will further clarify. Look at it to see for yourselves."

The five teenagers looked at the rounded display to see a set of video images being played on it, ones that showed what looked like a witch of sorts and her monsters raiding ancient villages and destroying them ruthlessly.

"That is Rita Repulsa and her minions," Zordon explained. "She is an intergalactic sorceress who has long desired to rule the universe. Earth has become her next target, and she plans to conquer it using the various monsters she has at her disposal."

Once the series of images discontinued, the group turned to face Zordon once more. "Why does this concern us, though?" Trini asked, as if still confused.

"I have selected each of you to be parts of a specialized team of warriors to combat Rita and protect your world from her attackers," Zordon informed her respectfully. "Through my resources, I have determined that all of you are the perfect candidates for this. You are the best of the best, therefore you are now the Power Rangers."

"Wait, what?! Power Rangers?" Zack exclaimed in complete confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I am sorry for being unclear," Zordon said to Zack in embarrassment. "The title stems from the powers you gain from the ancient creatures your species refers to as Dinosaurs."

"...Dinosaurs?" Kimberly blurted out in a strangely flat manner. Out of nowhere, belts were suddenly spawned onto their clothing, with cartridges nested in the center with golden coins mounted in the center.

"What the hell?" Zack said in response, removing the hexagonal cartridge. "What are these things?"

"Those are morphers," Zordon replied. "Or more specifically, your power morphers. If you were to raise them to the sky and called out the name of your particular dinosaur, you will morph into the Power Rangers."

"I don't get it, what do you mean by morph?" Kimberly asked the interdimensional sage.

"Metamorphosis," Billy told her. "It's a more formal and complicated way of saying to change."

"As the Power Rangers," Zordon continued on. "In addition to having the vast universe of power, I also will grant you a fleet of war machines that many of our galaxy have called Zords. The very ones I give you will be the Dinosaur Zords.

"Jason, because of you being powerful bold, and impressively skilled in leadership, you will be in command of the Tyrannosaurus dinosaur. Zachary, your cleverness and exceptional bravery suits you for the Mastodon dinosaur. Trini, remarkable agility of fearlessness is what earns you command of the Saber-Tooth Tiger. Billy, patience and wisdom makes the Triceratops the proper dinosaur for you. Kimberly, your wits and gracefulness is what has made the Pterodactyl dinosaur yours."

The adolescents had no opportunity to ask questions as the viewing globe interrupted that, showing images of their Zords. "As the five of you work as one, your Zords shall also. If you are in need of their aid, all you will need is to turn to the power of the Dinosaurs. Then, it shall come together to form the Dino Megazord." After Zordon's words were spoken, the viewing globe once again returned to its inactive state.

"Morphers? Megazords? Fighting monsters? No thanks," Zack said with a sarcastic laugh. "This is way too much for me."

"Same here," Kimberly added optimistically. "I wouldn't do this if I got paid!" Zack waved for the group to follow him, and gave Zordon an apologetic look. "Sorry Zordon," Zack said to him respectfully. "But this isn't for us, I think we're better off where we were before. Come on Jason!"

Jason remained stationary for a moment, as if pondering what he had just saw. "...Jason? Come on, we don't need this!" his friend persisted."Yeah, alright..." Jason sighed, reluctantly joining them on the path outside. "I knew it was going to turn out like this," Alpha commented in disappointment.

* * *

Outside of the 7-11 near Angel Grove High School, Bulk and Skull sat on the curb consuming the soft drinks that had purchased, skipping the class they had during this hour.

"How do we explain this one?" Skull asked between sips. Bulk laughed at the thought of the teachers being irritated at them not attending the class, and even more so at his explanation that would have flawless validation.

"Early lunch break," Bulk answered. "I got a bunch of letters approving this, each of them's got a perfectly forged signature of every school administrator. We could do this shit all day if we wanted to."

Bulk and Skull gave each other a high-five, and continued pondering what pranks they could pull after school. "You want to set Miss Appleby's lawn on fire again?" Skull inquired with a grin. "You know, cause I got a whole tank of gas we c-"

"Hold that thought," Bulk interrupted, seeing a car that look all too familiar. "Well what do you know, that ass wipe principal Caplan decided to come crawling out of that cave he calls his office!"

As if to unintentionally confirm his long time best friend's statement, Skull glanced at the inside of 7-11 to see Mr. Caplan filling a basket full of various beers, wines, and vodka.

Bulk turned to Skull with a look of amusement, and he could see the malicious look on Skull's face with full clarity. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Bulk asked, trying to restrain himself from laughing.

Skull immediately plucked the wire-cutters from his backpack, and sprinted for Caplan's sedan. Bulk watched Skull getting underneath the vehicle, and knew he was in the process of cutting the brake cable.

"Hope you don't mind a broken radiator fan," Bulk whispered, walking over to Caplan's car and forcing the hood open. Bulk then ripped a few cables away from the engine, and slammed the hood down where it once was. "That outta keep busy when he gets home."

"Done!" Skull announced cheerfully, rolling out from underneath the car and jumping to his feet. "So what now?"

Bulk then heard the screaming of police sirens nearby, and felt a rock form in his gut when they approached within a closer proximity.

"Holy fu-" Bulk nearly yelled, cutting himself off halfway. "Skull, we gotta get the hell out of here, NOW!"

After Bulk shouted those words, the duo ran for their lives as the law enforcers raced to the scene in pursuit. "The cops are after us!" Skull cried out in fear, tripping over his two feet.

Bulk then discontinued fleeing, and spotted something odd standing in their path. "Uh...Skull?" Bulk mumbled in horror. "I think we got a problem WAY bigger than the cops for once."


	3. Chapter 3: Deadly Debut

Onto part 3; in this chapter we see Bulk and Skull meeting on Goldar, and the Power Rangers morph for the very first time. Meanwhile, Lucien enters his path to learning the truth about the ones he was "sent" to attack.

* * *

"_You spent over twenty years chasing a mentally retarded kid from Pallet Town just to get your hands on a worthless electric rat, when you could have gotten yourselves super strong Pokemon that could have won you the leagues of every region, and you could have gotten legendary Pokemon too. So I'd say that Skull is right, you two are really f*cking stupid._" – Bulk, while confronting Team Rocket

* * *

Bulk stared at the creature in front of him, flinching at the menacing gaze it was giving off as it stepped forward. "Are you kidding me, Bulk?" Skull asked impatiently. "How is a golden monkey a worse problem than the cops?"

"What did you just call me?!" it yelled in anger. Bulk and Skull exchanged awkward looks, feeling even more angst as the police sirens were growing louder by the minute.

"A golden monkey?" Skull finally answered, resuming focus on the ape. "My name is Goldar!" he yelled, spawning a black sword in his hands. "And if anyone should be handing out any insults, it's me!"

Goldar charged at the duo, causing them to scream in horror and run off in fear. The ape-like warrior began throwing energy lances at the two arsonists, each missing and creating small explosions as they made contact with the ground.

"Bulk, what are we going to do?!" Skull panted as he ran. Bulk's mind raced for answers, looking back and watching the methods Goldar was using for an attack. "Skull, do you know the code to your dad's gun vault?"

* * *

Jason and his friends carefully made their way through what appeared to be a pathway down a mountain, and did what he could to calm his mind.

Taking a look at what was down the way, all that Jason could see was a vast array of fields, rivers, and what appeared to be wetlands. But through all the nature, no visual signs of any urban environment were visible, nor could any roads be seen.

The five had no pathway that could lead them back to Angel Grove, or any human settlements for that matter.

"Well that was real nice of Zordon, not giving us a way to get back home," Kimberly said sarcastically. "It's like he didn't want us to have a choice."

"Maybe if we asked him, I think he would have…" Billy nervously added. While she continued walking, both Kimberly and Zack took a glance at Billy with equal skepticism.

"Billy, you didn't seriously buy into that, did you?" Zack told him, his tone resembling one of disappointment. "Come on, this isn't for us. Why don't we let that Lucien guy, the cops and the army handle Rita and those monsters? They're better at this stuff than we are, after all."

"You know what? I don't think being a Power Ranger is such a bad idea," Jason said to Zack in disagreement. "The military and police forces don't have what Zordon showed us, and we all saw what Rita did. She was able to take over worlds without tryin-"

"Jason, we got this information from a weird little robot and a floating head stuck in a glass tube," Zack argued in concern. "Hell, Ernie probably put something in our smoothies or this is all some crazy dream. But this is the complete opposite of right either way, and that's definitely a fact no matter how you put it."

Trini and Billy nodded in agreement, while Kimberly shook her head in remorse. "Yeah, Zack is right," she added. "This _is_ crazy isn't worth it."

Jason discontinued walking; making a stern facial expression at the pessimism his friends were showing. "Guys, you might have been freaked out by what we just saw," Jason explained, briefly pausing. "But we don't even know what being the Power Rangers is like just yet, we haven't even tried. How do we know it's a bad thing?

"In fact, we don't know how what we were planning to do with our lives before today is going to be, and whether we're _truly_ going to like it or not. We have to take risks, and if we acted like this about everything before and keep doing this in the future, we won't get anywhere in life.

"Sometimes not playing it safe doesn't result in screwing up our lives, and I think we should at least try to be Power Rangers for once. Even if we still don't like it, maybe Zordon will let us go on with our lives like he did just a few minutes ago. And hey, maybe he'll give us a ride home this time too."

Everyone remained silent for a few moments, as if they had been dishonest with themselves and fear was what was keeping them from wanting to be Power Rangers. But before anything more could be said, atrociously dark clouds began to consume the sky, blocking out the sun completely.

"I really got a bad feeling about this…" Trini whispered in angst. Suddenly, twelve bolts of lightning descended from the mass of clouds, and struck the ground near the group. Then, as if manifested by the bolts, a squad of putties materialized from those very positions.

"Not these things again!" Billy called out in panic. Though they were able to hold them off hours ago due to Lucien Lachance's interference, the assassin was not here to divert the putties attention. However, Jason was still willing to fight without him.

"Come on guys, let's take them down!" Jason shouted. The group quickly engaged the putties in combat, each of them taking on the ceramic-built creatures. Billy was the first to enter the fight, delivering two kicks to a trio of putties that advanced towards him.

The three attempted to grab onto him, but missed and collided with each other as the science-expert ducked swiftly. However, a putty from behind managed to deliver a pair of kicks to Billy's legs, and threw him into Kimberly, knocking her onto the ground.

Zack and Trini were also quickly defeated, both of them landing into a four-person dog-pile.

Jason was busy taking on a putty in a one-on-one fight, first punching it in the face, and receiving a minor amount of pain due to its body's stone-like texture. The putty fell over backwards, though five of its allies sprinted at Jason, performing a football tackle that pushed him into the dog-pile that his friends were placed in.

The group snapped out of the temporary trance, and all rose to their feet, looking at their formidable opponents in resentment. "They're too strong," Trini said breathlessly. "We can't win…"

Jason removed the morpher on his belt, and looked at the putty squad as they spoke to each other in their unintelligible language. "We got these morphers," Jason told them confidently. "Let's put them to use!"

Each of the teens took their morphers off of their belts, and raised them into the air. "It's morphin' time!" Jason shouted, his voice echoing across the area.

"Mastodon!" Zack shouted, a black light enveloping his body as he called on his dinosaur spirit.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly said, something similar happening to her as well.

"Triceratops!" Billy called out, the same occurrence being brought on him too.

"Saber-Tooth Tiger!" Trini spoke, a yellow aura wrapping around her.

"Tyrannosaurus!" said Jason, something equal going on with him, though the light on him had a red-coloration.

With the morphing complete, the newly created Power Rangers took brief looks at their newly gained suits, and then took glances at the others in the group.

The putty squad exchanged awkward looks at each other, and then gazed at the rangers in confusion, making noises that indicated the lack of being able to comprehend at what just happened.

"You guys ready for a rematch?" Jason taunted, tightening his fists. One putty pointed at the red ranger, and made a set of angered noises.

Then, after its angry incoherent rant was finished, the putty and its allies lunged at the Power Rangers. Jason easily dodged the incoming putty, and delivered a powerful kick to its side, resulting in the stone entity's abdomen shattering and crushing the rest of its body.

The rest of the putties gasped at the act Jason had just performed, and made saddened cries at the sight. The creatures then jumped over the cliff, and fell to their guaranteed deaths.

"That…was easy," Billy commented in surprise. "And a bit odd, considering how confident they were at the start of this."

"_Rangers, I congratulate you for your first victory, however, I must inform you on the remains of today's situation. It is not over,_" the voice of Zordon said from far away. "_There is another threat that you must attend to and repel as soon as the opportunity awaits._"

"What? More putties?" Jason asked, perplexed at Zordon's statement. "_Of course. But worse too,_" Zordon answered. "_Rita has sent Goldar, the best of her warriors to the most populated area of your city. That, and Alpha along with myself have detected something even more dangerous._"

"Let me guess," Zack sighed in disappointment. "That Lucien guy decided that the people of Angel Grove are evil and now he wants to kill them?"

"_No,_" Zordon replied, his voice sounding like it was breaking up in static. "_Rangers…My communications are being cancelled out by the threat, you must teleport to downtown Angel Grove at once!_"

Before anything more was said, the Power Rangers once again experienced the gut-turning feeling that the teleportation caused, and were swept to yet another different location.

* * *

_Hiding in Miss Appleby's garage isn't exactly traditional or polite,_ Lucien thought, slightly relieved that nobody was home yet. _But this must be done now, I can not ask my father this question at home. If my comrades find out the root of their origins…it will ruin everything, and all we fought for will have been for absolutely nothing._

Lucien pulled out the scroll hidden in his right pocket, and opened it as he placed it on the ground. _This is the last scroll I have, _he grumbled within his mind. _Until Rita takes a break from this nonsense, I won't be able to gather whatever limited resources Angel Grove has for things of this sort._

Focusing his energy towards the tips of his gloves, Lucien swept his right hand across the scroll, triggering it to glow with a cyan-tinted light, and then vanish into a cloud of thick smoke of the same color.

Though he couldn't it, Lucien could tell that the communication link to his father had been clearly established. "_What is it, Lucien?_" his father, Rowan Lachance, asked sounding rather drowsy. "_I'm feeling a bit tired right now, so I would prefer if this was important…_"

"I wasn't aware that ghosts could feel fatigue," Lucien snickered sarcastically. "But in all seriousness, this _is_ important. Jason Scott, Kimberly Hart, and their friends have been given power coins. This world has various opportunities for villains to gain more power, and I require your guidance. If Divatox, Rita, or Lord Zedd obtain the teenagers or these power coins, we will not stand a chance. I have no knowledge of where these coins are, but you do."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two, and Lucien was beginning to feel a slight pinch of impatience, before his father spoke yet again.

"_I…ugh…Lucien, I did not want to defile the Didact's wishes,_" his father admitted. "_He was hesitant, but told me everything he knew about me, us, and our origins entirely due to his belief that Raicadre was going to succeed in killing him and destroying everything that was left of his people and humanity. _

"_Thus, why I was able to learn of this, and I didn't want to betray the person who saved what remains of our family. That, and the Didact told me that revealing any of the secrets would have grave consequences on all of us, and he can't do anything to tame the chaos it would cause. Other damage would include the significant alteration of our destinies, as well as the destinies of the people on this world._"

"Father, what are you talking about?" Lucien questioned in primal suspicion. "_Lucien, those teenagers are the Power Rangers,_" he admitted, sounding sad. "_Malthus of Team Armageddon distorted the message so that you would kill the wrong targets._" Lucien tightened his fists in pure rage at the sound of his old enemy's name, and stopped when he replayed the first part of his father's answer in his mind.

"Wait...Power Rangers?" he whispered, still not understanding. "Who are they?"

"_There is more I have to tell..._"

* * *

The veil of teleportation vanished, leaving the Power Rangers at central point of Angel Grove. Thousands of burnt bodies were scattered across the area; laying on the roads, sidewalks, plants, and all over the vehicles.

"What happened here?" Zack muttered in shock. Jason grunted in irritation, disgusted at the thought of whoever had the nerve to do this.

"_Hey! What do you think you're doing?!_" Rita's voice screeched from above. "_Get your rocky asses back there and fight!_"

"Was that Rita?" Kimberly asked, looking at the sky, and then seeing a hoard of putties away in panic as she returned focus to the city. "The ones we fought didn't run from us, so what are these guys afraid of?"

Trini stepped towards the middle of the area, and screeched as an insect-esq creature jumped onto her and slammed her into the ground.

Jason took a moment to get a glimpse of the attacker, and saw the creature leap off of the yellow ranger and faced the others.

The dark-skinned beast was twice the height of the tallest person Jason had seen, and was highly muscular, lacking clothing and having outer skeletal body parts. It had six fingered hands that were visibly broad, and seemed to be made of a metallic substance.

Its arms had a notable length, and possessed a texture that was identical to the rest of its body, which had the looks of volcanic dirt.

The alien-like creature's abdomen looked repressed, nearly showing the impressions of its interior. The texture of its head was different from the rest of its body, the color was that of a human skeleton, although there seemed to be no visual relation to a human being.

Its eyes looked nothing more than balls of blinding red light, appearing like that of a demon from the underworld. Its mouth was composed of several long black mandibles, all of which stretched out from underneath its chin.

In addition to those frightening features, the monster had something that looked like a long reptilian tail with a sword-like blade attached to the end. "What is that thing?!" Kimberly squealed in fear.

"Get up, you spineless Earthling trash!" the alien barked, its voice being obviously male and sounding humanoid. The creature kicked Trini aside, and stopped as it inspected her.

"What…?" he mumbled in confusion, looking at the other rangers. "Well, if it isn't the Power Rangers! Malthus spoke of you being brought into reality one day!"

"Just what are you and who are you working for?" Zack shouted, pointing at the creature.

"I am a soldier of Team Armageddon," the alien answered. "A criminal syndicate dominated primarily by my species, the N€tro. Although we allow humans and other species to join us, most of you are far too weak, and a Team Armageddon tradition is murdering those that are either weak or inferior to us.

"Right now, we have determined that Rita Repulsa and her minions are too lacking in strength to be part of us, and the same goes for the residents of Angel Grove. We also know that you, the Power Rangers, are also not strong enough to join us. So…you all will die!"

The N€tro warrior pulled out what looked like an assault rifle, and aimed it directly at Trini. "Guys, let's get out our weapons!" Jason shouted, spawning his power sword between his hands, while the other rangers did the same.

Jason quickly dashed at the Team Armageddon agent, and took a swing at the alien when he was within range. The creature noticed Jason's presence before he could take damage, and delivered a kick to the red ranger's stomach, knocking him over.

Trini rolled on her side, and ran to cover, as the other rangers joined the fight against the alien attacker. "Take this, power pricks!" the Team Armageddon agent yelled.

The warrior then fired a continuous stream of bullets at Billy, all of which pelted his suit's armor and slightly penetrated the outer structure. "Guys, help!" Billy shouted, horrified at his armor gradually coming apart.

Zack smashed his power axe onto the beast's left shoulder, sending crimson blood flying about. The soldier roared in pain, and turned his firearm towards Zack's helmet, preparing to fire at point-blank range. "ZACK!" Jason bellowed in horror.

"Let's see what your helmet and face looks like when I'm done!" the Team Armageddon agent taunted, placing his fingers on the trigger.


	4. Chapter 4: Goldar's Revenge

Welcome to chapter 4; in this part we shall see Zack's fate, Bulk and Skull's career change, and Rita learning of her old enemy's arrival to Earth. Will Zack survive the situation he has been placed in, and what else has Lucien's father been keeping from him?

As I always say; read, review, and most importantly-enjoy. :)

**DISCLAIMER:** Everyone knows that I do not own Power Rangers, and that all I do own is the original characters I have made.

* * *

"_It's creepy that the Celebi was trying to eat May's brain. It's just a dream, right?_"

* * *

"Hopefully Malthus will let me eat what's left of you!" the Team Armageddon agent sneered.

No thoughts were left within Jason's mind, the only thing he could do was just watch the alien warrior preparing to pull the trigger.

Then, the leader of the Power Rangers tightened his fists, and dashed forward with a flood of several emotions surging through him. _No,_ Jason thought in anger. _I won't let this bastard kill Zack!_

But before anyone could make another move, the N€tro soldier moved his aim off of Zack at the sound of a truck's horn screeching behind them.

"CRAP! Not in the middle of a fight with the Power Rangers!" he shouted, jumping off of the black ranger and taking cover. Jason continued running, and picked Zack off the ground, taking position away from their enemy as well.

The Team Armageddon soldier pulled out what looked like a radio, and parted his mandibles in what looked like an expression of anger.

"Sergeant, I didn't make an evac call! Get the truck back, NOW!" he yelled in desperation. "I'm fighting the Power Rangers, dammit! If the vehicle gets in range they'll blow it first chance they get, and that means the other power coins get scrapped too. Then we're screwed and it'll take longer for us to turn every one of these worthless Earthlings into the messed up zombies Malthus was talking about!"

"Zombies?!" Kimberly exclaimed in horror. Billy grabbed the other rangers by the arms and forced them to cover as well, and motioned for them to be quiet.

"Guys, we don't have time to speculate about this...!" Jason whispered. "Even though he's using something that can be found practically anywhere on our world, it's still strong enough to penetrate our ranger suits. Not only that, but this guy is ten times stronger than Rita's putties, so we have to think this through."

Jason took a glance at his weapon, as well as the others that his team wielded, and formed an idea in his mind. "Billy, is there some way we can combine our weapons and make them fire a beam that's stronger than anything we have right now?" he asked calmly.

Billy tapped the side of his helmet, and looked at Jason's sword for a brief moment. "Zordon said we had access to a vast universe of power," the blue ranger stated with an assured tone. "If Zordon was legitimately being truthful with his claims, then our weapons will be more than capable of joining together."

Jason carefully tossed his sword in the air in a position that the N€tro soldier couldn't see, and gestured for the other Power Rangers to do the same. "Come on guys," he told them sternly. "Let's put an end to this creep!"

The other rangers joined their weapons with Jason's, and then the newly formed cannon lowered into the hands of the Power Rangers. "Wait for him to come out..." Jason said patiently.

Jason noticed a military-style vehicle emerging from one of the alleyways at a speed that was slow enough for any ranged weapon to score plenty of hits.

"LEAVE! Get out of here while you still can!" the criminal pleaded. "The Power Rangers are going to win this war in the long term if we lose what you're carrying! Go back before-"

"**FIRE!**" Jason bellowed, squeezing the trigger with a force that could crush more fragile substances into dust.

A multi-colored beam blasted its way out of the combined weapon, racing towards the alien fanatic gracefully.

The Team Armageddon agent turned around, and snorted violently as he leaped out of the way, allowing the beam to strike the incoming truck. The beam hit the vehicle directly in the engine compartment, creating a blazing explosion that incinerated every visible thing within.

"No, no..." the soldier gasped in complete sorrow, dropping his weapon. "They didn't even get to die heroic deaths..."

While the beast was down, Jason could tell their weapon needed to recharge, and cursed silently at the thought of not getting to use this opportunity to put an end to their adversary.

The Team Armageddon warrior turned to the Power Rangers' direction, and replaced his sadness with a level of rage that Jason never thought he would witness in his entire life.

"You...**YOU HEARTLESS SCUMBAGS!**" the alien roared. "**I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!**"

"No," said Bulk, from an unknown direction. "I strongly disagree with that statement." After those words were spoken, a storm of bullets struck the left portion of the alien's abdomen and in several areas of his head, causing crimson blood to fly everywhere.

The glow of the N€tro criminal's eyes vanished, and the beast fell to the ground, making a pond of his own blood as he did. "What...? How-" Trini stuttered in confusion.

"You're welcome," Bulk snickered with an AK-47 in his hands, walking in front of the ranger with Skull slowly behind him in their motorcycle. "I'm gonna be honest, you guys were pretty impressive. Who are you, anyway?"

The rangers exchanged glances with each other, and only Jason seemed to know what to say. "Just call us the Power Rangers," he answered. "We can handle this stuff, so you guys don't need to get involved."

"I think the term color-coded vigilantes would be better for you," Skull commented with a grin. "I don't see any police or government agent badges, just costumes that look like something from an unrealistic fictional TV show. We were heroes today too, and we just proved we can protect Angel Grove from alien bad guys also! So we're not gonna give this up!"

Jason felt a pinch of slight irritation, and was about to argue the duo's words before Bulk leaped onto the bike, riding on the backside of the seat instead of the passenger compartment.

The red ranger took a glance at what was sitting in it, and saw what appeared to be a golden ape tied up thoroughly, his armor blistered with projectiles. _Is that Goldar? _Jason thought out of curiosity.

"Don't worry about the monkey," Bulk told the teens. "The feds will take good care of him. See ya!"

Bulk and Skull then drove off, and waved the group a fond farewell for the time being.

* * *

"In all honesty, Bulk. I still can't believe you and me actually had the guts to do this," Skull told his friend with relief. "We captured a homicidal monkey, we killed an alien soldier that those Power Rangers had a really tough time taking down. And then we find those two gold coins!"

Bulk inspected the markings on the coins, and smiled at the way they glowed. "These are undeniably cool," Bulk admitted with a confident grin. "But I wonder what the aliens were doing with them, and why they would want them?"

Skull shrugged as they entered their neighborhood, carefully slowing down. "Bulk, given all the crazy stuff that's happened today," Skull began with a relaxed sigh. "I really got no idea. The stuff we've done in the past is just lighting off fireworks, setting things on fire, and pranks. None of that's like fighting a war against fanatical aliens with a crazy ass mission that doesn't make sense!"

Bulk nodded in agreement, and thought of what was going to transpire next. "Skull, this is actually what we've always wanted to do. And that of course is being heroes," Bulk explained to his friend. "Sure, it's definitely going to conflict with our daily lives, but you know what? I'm willing to do this, and the police are going to be too busy to bother with a pair of teenagers that _they think_ are virtually harmless outside of simple pranks.

"Angel Grove is a city that goes easy on it's teens that don't have a criminal history, and the police here think far more indiscriminately in comparison to the rest of California. The officers that do anything close to patrolling our area have been briefed on all of us, and they'll especially ignore us if they have to deal with those aliens.

"And with the Power Rangers taking the vigilante spotlight, we'll be able to be the heroes we want to be with limited interference. Sure, hardly anybody will know about us, although at least we'll have the luxury of knowing we're actually good guys, despite what we do at school."

"But doesn't being bullies defeat the purpose of being good?" Skull queried, slowing down even further.

"Good question," Bulk replied. "It's something we're addicted to now that won't last forever. When we're out of school, then being heroes will have more meaning. Besides, I have a feeling that those stone creature things and aliens like the one we busted will be around longer than our school careers."

* * *

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Rita's servants whimpered, fleeing from the telescope. Rita slowly emerged from her private quarters, unable to comprehend the cause of the clamor in her palace.

"Finster, what happened?" she asked, surprised at how patient she was actually feeling. "Why is everyone running around like animals that sucked down a lake of coffee?"

"M-my queen, _they're_ here! They've come!" Finster stammered, backing into a corner. _WHAT is going on? _Rita thought, squinting her left eye at the behavior.

"Finster, I don't understand," she said to the sculptor of her monsters. "Who are _they_? There's loads of groups that can have that sort of label, so be more specific!"

"J-just look through the telescope!" Finster told her, pointing to the elegant object. "They are most likely trying to contact you now!"

Rita rolled her eyes once she began walking to the telescope, rubbing her forehead as an all too familiar pain began to surface. _Can't I get a minion that isn't a total coward for once?!_ Rita complained within her thoughts. _Alright, let's see what's scaring the crap out of Finster._

Looking through her utility, Rita spotted the shadow of something that appeared to be a sinister starship, though it was heavily masked in the darkness of wherever it was floating.

The witch was about to comment on the vessel, stopping at the sight of what appeared to be the type of creature she had prayed she would never have to deal with again, standing on the bow.

"Finster, first chance you get, call Goldar and tell him to get to the cliff of the nearest mountain-" Rita attempted to say, being interrupted by an unknown source as well as three more of the creatures joined it.

"As our ship sails, death comes near!" said the inhuman voice of something that sounded like a teenage girl.

"Our tails stand up as we smile upon the gory frontier!" another voice added, this one being male.

"Braving all the gruesome sacrifices and pain, our people eventually find peace!"

"Through all the wars, justice and freedom will soon meet!"

"The Mistress of Destruction, Vespasian!"

"The Mass Murdering Savage, Valdermar!"

"Team Armageddon will transform the universe with the extermination of the weak!"

"Each day the oceans of our enemy's of blood draws nearer to our prime!"

"I like donuts!" a third voice shouted cheerfully.

Rita pulled herself away from the telescope, her mind erupting into complete static. "What the hell?!" she exclaimed in irritation. "Agh, whatever! It's time to kick the game up a notch. Magic wand, make my monster grow!"

With those words spoken, Rita threw her favorite tool towards the planet, aiming straight for the location where Goldar was.

* * *

"_Lucien, Malthus tampered with the vision you received,_" Rowan explained, his tone sounding depressed and saddened. "_He only wanted you to believe this world was going to end and that those teenagers were Divatox's servants so that you would kill them, and make it easier for Team Armageddon to turn all living things on this world into undead lifeforms._"

Lucien stared at his father's ghost in disbelief, his mind silenced at the prospect. "_The Power Rangers are an extraordinarily strong fighting force that even the most powerful villains have struggled to defeat,_" he continued. "_Their capabilities, their talents, their weaponry, their skills, all of it was too great for the strongest of villains to conquer._

"_Even though he tries to paint Team Armageddon as unstoppable, Malthus knows his syndicate's limitations, and he knows the Power Rangers can stop him. He and his servants will undoubtedly deny it, but deep down they know their weaknesses. And one of them is the Power Rangers, and that's why you were manipulated into trying to kill them._"

Lucien detected a spiral of fury raging within him, and felt more hatred towards his old enemy than ever before. "Where is Malthus now?!" Lucien shouted, tightening his fists in absolute rage. "If he is on this world, then I might as well end what was started between us all those years ago!"

"_I do not know, my son,_" Rowan told him, pausing briefly. "_And I'm afraid that I am running out of time to converse with you. Before I go, there are a few things that I _must_ inform you of._"

"Such as what?" Lucien sighed, his anger still remaining.

"_Just now, Rita has thrown her wand down to Earth and is going to turn Goldar into a giant in order to kill off the last of the Team Armageddon platoon that was sent down here. Although I'm sure the Power Rangers will dispose of him accordingly. After that, I want you to follow the rangers to Zordon's command center. There, Zordon will tell you everything you need to know...for now at least..._"

Rowan's image suddenly vanished completely before Lucien got the chance to ask him anything else, leaving Lucien to ponder this information on his own. "How am I supposed to follow them to the Command Center?" he asked himself, walking outside.

"If those teenagers aren't the danger of this world," Lucien pondered, exiting Miss Appleby's territory. "Then it must be Malthus, or more particularly what he came here for. He must be trying to get his hands on the power coins so he can turn us all into zombies by using the coins to fuel a machine of sorts, and then who knows whatever sick game he's plotting next?"

Lucien then felt a vibration surge through the ground, and turned to two teenagers running away from a giant-sized Goldar. "Hey there, Lachance!" Goldar greeted with a laugh. "Hope you don't mind me smashing you like a bug!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Wrath of Goldar

Last time, we saw Lucien encounter Goldar for the first time in years, and we will now see if he truly will survive or not. Then, we shall view the Power Rangers awakening their zords for the first time. Meanwhile, Bulk and Skull discover the secret behind their mysterious treasures.

Read, review, and certainly; enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER:** Everyone knows I do not own Power Rangers, and I only own the original characters I have made.

* * *

"I see Rita's fetish for enlarging you still remains," Lucien said to Goldar, his eyes narrowing in disgust. "Despite all the times you've been defeated in the past."

Goldar smirked at the assassin, placing his sword back within its torn sheath, and slowly stepped closer to his adversary. "I'm her strongest soldier, moron!" Goldar retorted harshly. "Why do you think she turned me into a giant?"

Lucien dove out of the way as the giant-sized Goldar stomped on the place he was standing, creating a large vibration that overturned cars and various other objects that were not fitted into the ground.

"Come on, you arrogant prick!" Goldar taunted. "What happened to invincible superman I was talking to a second ago?"

Lucien sprinted away from Goldar as fast as he could, nearly tripping over his own feet as he fled for his life. "Get back here, you damn wimp!" Goldar shouted, kicking a house apart. "Wait a sec…"

Goldar discontinued his pursuit of Lucien, and gazed at the nearby houses. "Oh yeah…not a bad idea," the golden armored alien said to himself with a grin. "Hey, Lachance! If you don't stop running and let me crush you, I'm gonna destroy all these houses and kill everyone who lives in this neighborhood!"

Lucien stared at Goldar in pure shock, his mouth hanging open at the statement the monster had just made. "Your conflict does not concern them," the dark brotherhood agent yelled. "Am I supposed to believe you would actually sink that low?"

Goldar began laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke that anyone could imagine, nearly falling onto the road he was standing over.

"Seriously, are you forgetting who you're talking to?!" Goldar responded, struggling to keep his laughter from interrupting his words. "Come on, Lucien! You should know by now that I don't give a shit about ethics! I'd feel less guilt about killing innocent people than throwing a rotten potato in the trash! In case you want proof…"

Goldar drew his sword, and started charging the blade with purple-colored energy. Lucien watched in disbelief as Goldar aimed his sword for the nearest three-story house, and fired the deadly beam at the middle of its structure, creating a blazing explosion that burned brighter than a sun.

Lucien stood motionless, awestruck as he watched the burning fragments raining down from the black flaming cloud, and knew that the house was destroyed along with whoever was inside of it.

"Ah ha ha ha! This is why I'm Rita's top warrior!" the ape gloated, making an intimidating pose. For the first time since watching his family being slaughtered, Lucien had no idea what to do next other than watch Goldar's sadistic rampage.

* * *

"Aye yi yi yi yi!" Alpha Five squealed in panic. "This is bad, Goldar's destroying a neighborhood before he goes to the city center! He's going to kill so many people before he gets out of there!"

Zordon instantly teleported into his energy tube, glancing at the viewing globe to see Goldar's sinister acts, and then Lucien Lachance standing on the road, watching the barbaric warrior blowing up houses and killing the people inside.

"I will contact the rangers at once," Zordon told his assistant. "And Alpha? The automaton turned to the time warp, still fidgeting in angst. "Um, yes Zordon?" he whispered insecurely.

"Please desist with the 'aye yi yi yi yi' phrase, it will undoubtedly irritate those that hear it…" he sighed in annoyance.

"Ugh…okay," Alpha grumbled, slowly approaching a computer console. "I'll start up the zords and send them towards Goldar's location. Hopefully that will drive him away from the neighborhood!"

* * *

Jason watched what appeared to be a black, dragon-shaped starship slowly descending towards Angel Grove from the skies, and felt a further sense of dread forming within him.

"Jason, what do we do now?" Zack asked, his voice full of equal timidity. Jason prepared a response in his head to prevent the potential demoralization, and was stopped at the sound of Zordon's voice within his helmet.

"_Rangers, I have an update on the current situation at hand,_" Zordon informed them. "_It seems that Rita's ultimate soldier, Goldar, has broken free of his captors, and has been given a size enhancement by Rita. He will arrive to your position soon, you must call upon your zords if you are to prevent the deaths of the remaining people in your city!_"

"Got it Zordon," Jason replied, turning to his comrades. "Alright guys, you heard him. If we want to defeat Goldar, we'll have to use what we've been given to the full extent."

Jason looked up to the sky, and pointed his fist in the air. "We need dinosaur power, NOW!" he called out forcefully.

* * *

Bulk watched Goldar racing towards another direction, and sighed with relief, knowing that he and Skull were out of danger.

"Note to self; never take another monster prisoner, even if they're too weak to put up a fight," Bulk laughed to himself, turning to his sidekick. "You alright, Skull?"

Bulk looked at his friend, and noticed that Skull was laying on the sidewalk, whimpering in absolute fear. "Calm down, bro!" Bulk told his friend, gently nudging him in the stomach. "Goldar's run off, we can go ahead and-"

"Help me, Jesus! Help me, Santa! Help me, little elf that always sprays graffiti on my door!" Skull whimpered pitifully.

Bulk rolled his eyes and sighed explosively, walking over to the man in black robes. "Hey Skull," Bulk said quietly. "Isn't that the guy who spies on random students at our school?"

Skull got up, and gazed at the man with an empty look on his face. "Yeah, that is!" Skull answered, loud enough for the man to hear him. "In fact, I recorded a video of him sneaking into the principal's office last week!"

The man instantly turned his attention to Bulk and Skull with a deadly look in his eyes, and walked over to them quickly. "What is this video you speak of?" he growled furiously.

"Oh nothing, just me seeing you break a few laws, that's all!" Skull sneered ruthlessly. The man glared at the duo as if he was going to cut both of their heads off, tightening his fists as he reached into his pockets.

"Now now, dear child," he told them with an unkind hiss. "That's no way to treat a stranger. But if you insist on putting me in legal danger, perhaps we can both help each other out."

Bulk and Skull exchanged amused looks, and returned their attention to the odd individual. "Since that Goldar guy seemed to know you," Bulk began, taking his golden coin out and showing it to the man. "Then I assume you know about this coin, seeing as how you have extraterrestrial connections?"

"A power coin?!" the man exclaimed in horror. "Where and how did you get that?!" Bulk prepared to inform the stalker of how he obtained his gold prize, but was cut off by Skull, who seemed eager to mock him.

"That isn't your concern, pal!" Skull interrupted rudely. "Just tell us what these are, and how we can use them. Then, we'll return the favor by not telling the cops about you. Deal?"

The man formed a brutal grimace on his face, and looked away as he placed his left hand on his chin. "I suppose that I have nothing to lose," he answered with a pause. "After all, if you misuse these powers, I know that you'll have plenty of opposition stopping you from being threats. And that includes _me._"

Bulk snorted at the individual, not feeling any intimidation in the slightest. "Bro, you got nothing to worry about," Bulk responded. "Obviously, you don't follow the rules either. If that wasn't true, you'd stay out of other people's business. So you're in no position to be making any kind of demands, and we aren't bad guys. Answer my question, and as I said; you got nothing to worry about!"

The man looked off to the direction where the city square was, and sighed bitterly. "Those are power coins," he explained. "They grant the user extraordinary powers beyond basic comprehension. If used with the correct tools, those who possess the power coins can become the Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers, you say?" Bulk reacted energetically. "Hear that, Skull? We get to be Power Rangers with these things!"

Skull gave his friend a hive-five, and tightened his fists in excitement. "We can be Power Rangers?! Hell yeah, let's do it!" he almost bellowed.

"I wouldn't be too optimistic," the strange man stated firmly. "As I suggested, you need a tool to use these."

Bulk noticed a roll of paper sticking out of the man's pocket, and swiped it before he noticed. "Agh, my wish scroll! Hand that over at once!" he demanded fiercely.

"Man, I wish we had those 'tools' that he's talking about…!" Skull complained childishly.

"I wish that too," Bulk added, noticing that the paper was suddenly glowing with a blue light. "What the hell?"

The paper then vanished with a golden sparkle, and dropped cartridges in Bulk and Skull's hands, both having their power coins nested in the centers. "Well, would you look at these?" Bulk snickered. "I don't suppose our friend here knows how we can morph?"

"Screw that! Let's try it our own way," Skull disagreed. "How about we put these things in the air and shout the names of the animals that our coins had drawn on them?"

"Good idea!" Bulk said with a nod, raising his morpher in the air and looking at the sky, as Skull did the same.

"It's morphin' time!" Bulk announced, causing his device to glow with a purple light, while Skull's lit with a grey glow.

"Thunder Dragon!" Skull shouted, his body being wrapped in a grey aura.

"Venom Hydra!" Bulk yelled, with a purple lighting covering him.

Before they both knew it, Bulk and Skull's morphing cycle was completed, and the two took quick looks at their new suits. "Holy shit," Skull gasped in amazement, now the grey ranger. "We look even cooler than the other Power Rangers! And…did you lose weight?"

Bulk looked at himself, and realized that there was another effect besides him being turned into the purple ranger, the morphing had thinned his body significantly. "Skull," Bulk started with a pleasant laugh. "Something tells me we're going to love this."

Bulk saw that the mysterious man was then fleeing to safety, and shook his head in pity.

"Hey, do we get to have stuff like that?" Skull asked, pointing to a random direction. Bulk took a glance at where Skull was pointing, and saw five massive dinosaur-like machines charging towards the city center.

"If we don't already," Bulk began with a grin, though it was masked by his helmet. "We'll just get that stalker to make us some."

* * *

The Power Rangers teleported into the cockpits of their zords, logging on as each of them familiarized themselves with the controls. Zack gripped the control enthusiastically, and spotted Goldar running towards them on the radar, until he became visible on the viewport.

"Rita's gonna give me a trophy for this!" Goldar taunted, running up towards the Mastodon Dinozord.

"No, she's going to give you a dunce cap after we bust your monkey ass!" Zack retorted, tapping a command into the computer console. The Mastodon zord sprayed a cloud of icy particles at Goldar, causing his arms to be encapsulated in a thin veil of frost.

"What the-What did you do to me?!" Goldar yelled, horrified at his condition. "Something tells me you really aren't Rita's top soldier!" Zack laughed, motioning the controls for another attack.

"I'm a better warrior then you'll ever be, power d-bag!" Goldar barked, lunged at the Dinozord. Goldar then delivered a brutal kick to the forward section of the Mastodon zord, sending it flying into a building.

The Mastodon Dinozord struck the base of the structure, and hit the ground on its backside, causing a series of sparks to shoot out all around the cockpit of Zack's zord.

"Ah crap!" he shouted, shielding his helmet's visor as the mess cleared. The black ranger then looked at the displays, and saw a screen that he didn't find too appealing. "Command system freeze?" Zack read aloud. "Uh guys…I need some help over here!"

Zack then noticed something coming towards him in the corner of his viewport, something that did not appear to be Goldar, but rather a mechanical entity that appeared to resemble a lion.

"_Yes,_ _you will indeed need help, black ranger!_" said an inhuman female teenage voice. "_I wonder if my brother will let me feast on the pink ranger's remains!_"

Zack then saw a stream of missiles flying towards Kimberly's zord, and struggled to reset the Mastodon's systems. "Kimberly, NO!"


	6. Chapter 6: Megazord Paradox

Hello readers, this chapter shall be the first that not only does not feature Lucien, but also is a display of the first Megazord battle. Although this battle will be deadly, and survival is definitely not a guarantee for what the Power Rangers will face this time. It will be nothing short of destructive.

Read, review, and as always; enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything in this story except the characters I have made.

* * *

Pike:_ Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?_

_Kirk: I think so, sir._

_Pike: So tell what you did wrong. What's the lesson to be learned here?_

_Kirk: Never trust a Vulcan._

* * *

"Okay, I can do this," Kimberly whispered to herself, looking at the controls. "Just like handling a car...but where are the weapons? Or...are there no weapons?"

"_It won't matter,_" a sinister voice cackled through the broadcast channel on the comms. "_You'll be dead before you can fire them._"

Kimberly saw a collection of small red blips on the radar, and jerked the steering wheel to the right. The blips scattered in an erratic pattern, and disappeared from the screen systematically.

"What was that about?" Kimberly asked herself, motioning the controls so that she could get a look at the city through her viewport. "Um...guys? Does anyone know where _those_ came from?"

* * *

Rita gazed at Angel Grove through the telescope, slowing surveying the new participants in the battle below.

"Huh, I didn't know Zordon had more zords at his disposal! They look really creative too. NOT!" she snorted sarcastically, repulsed at the sight. "Two blue statues with yellow and pink lining being towed by a sphinx, and a black bull with a green head shooting random stuff at the Angel Grove police, and some kind of red phoenix trying to annoy the rangers-"

Rita discontinued her external monologue, realizing the implications of what she was seeing. "Argh, I got a headache already and I haven't even lost yet!" Rita vociferated melodramatically. "How did Team Armageddon even get any zords in the first place?!"

"Erm, my queen," Finster interjected timidly. "I believe I can offer an explanation behind this." Rita rolled her eyes in frustration, and slowly stepped towards the maker of her monsters, gripping her wand in preparation to hit Finster over the head if he said something stupid.

"It better be informative and not boring," Rita warned him sternly. "Otherwise I'll whack you over the head so hard, I'll put a crack in your skull the size of Earth's grand canyon!"

Finster's hands trembled in response to his empress's threat, still making eye contact in spite of it.

"My queen, seeing as how we're finally dealing with Zordon again after all these years as well as Malthus's band of war criminals," he began, his tone having a fluctuating pitch. "I took the liberty of reading through the books and studying whatever information I could find in relation to our adversaries.

"However, everything I've found from our resources were still lacking in my opinion, so I used one of the candles to spawn another book with the information I was looking for. I couldn't believe it at first, but it appears our destinies have been altered."

Rita gave Finster a look of primal confusion, as if she wasn't comprehending her minion's words in the slightest. "Finster, what are you talking about?" Rita asked him rhetorically. "Don't tell me this is another one of those retconning situations, and that somebody triggered the creation of an alternate universe and brought zords over from the other one to use for their purposes."

Finster lowered his head in embarrassment, kicking aside dust while he prepared a way of alleviation for the situation.

"Rita, every starship with the capability to travel far distances in short time requires _some_ type of method that can open loopholes that are either on a dimensional basis or within timelines," he explained. "We both know the mission Malthus had the day when we first became aware of his existence, develop weapons that can turn every living thing into an undead form of life. It is without a doubt that he exploited the time loophole on his course to Earth.

"That being said, there is a likely chance that he robbed another universe of its zords and stole the ones that were already made that are in this one. The zords you saw were most likely the Zeo Zords, and if that's true, then _that_ means the other forces of evil in this universe were eliminated by the law enforcement of Malthus's galaxy. That is in accordance to what the book told me, of course. But there is still one other evil tyrant left that originates from our universe."

_It's decided then,_ Rita thought in utter bitterness. _My next primary attack won't be aimed at Earth, I have to destroy Team Armageddon before they ruin anything else for me._

"Finster, who is that remaining tyrant you were hinting at?" the witch inquired, glancing at Earth with a depressed frown.

"Lord Zedd, my q-" Finster tried to answer, before a lewd interruption intervened. Rita then shrieked several obscenities, followed by a rampaging tantrum.

"Finster, prepare to manufacture an army of putties designed specifically for combat in space. Yeah, it sure won't be for a while, but I want to be ready to knock Zedd on his ass when he gets here. Earth is MINE, this universe is _MINE_, and I **AM** entitled to everything in reality! And I'm not going to let any damn thing stop me! Hear me out, you thick-skulled losers! I will give you a first class ticket to hell, and when you go there I'll be certain to make sure you never break free!"

* * *

Jason readied the fireball launcher on his T-rex zord, waiting for Goldar to get up and face him. "Come on, buddy," Jason quietly taunted. "Get up and let me finish this..."

Goldar rose up and regained control of himself, looking in a direction completely different from Jason's. "Hey Rita," Goldar panted, looking up at the sky. "Since when did Zordon have more than five zords to give his lackeys?"

"_Goldar, get your ass up here NOW!_" Rita barked from above. "_I'd prefer if Malthus destroys the rangers instead!_"

Before Goldar could protest Rita's order, the golden beast vanished from all fields of view. "_We won...already?_" Trini murmured through the active comm channel.

_There's no way it can be over this soon,_ Jason thought, nervously. Motioning his controls to the left, Jason saw what looked like a red phoenix soaring overhead.

"_Jason? Jason?! Do you hear me?_" Zack called out from the communication gear. Jason tapped a few commands into the console, switching the system to the broadcast frequency.

"What's up, Zack?" Jason asked with an uneasy tone. "You got your zord back online?" The red ranger saw the phoenix circle Angel Grove again, and began gradually flying in Jason's direction, arming what looked like wing-mounted cannons.

"_Jason, Team Armageddon's got control on these new zords!_" Zack told him. "_I downloaded some information on these things. They're called Zeo Zords, they can form a Megazord too, and its more powerful than what we have._"

"Don't forget what happened earlier, Zack," Jason reminded him. "If we took down that Team Armageddon soldier out there in the city square, then we can take on any zords they have. Let's form _our_ Megazord and show these alien pricks that arrogance earns you a painful ass-kicking at the end of the day!"

Jason held his hands in the air, triggering his red power crystal to appear. "Guys, power up your crystals!" he told them, sticking his own power crystal in the proper slot, causing his zord to light up entirely.

* * *

The five Dinosaur Zords ran together in unison, all converging to commence the combination sequence to form the Megazord.

The Ticeratops and Saber-Toothed Tiger Zords formed what appeared to be both the base and the legs, retracting their cannons and lowering out their bodies to allow the the Tyrannosaurus to connect, as the Mastodon rested on its back and formed what appeared to be two elongated cannons. The Pterodactyl Zord then flew in from behind, and nested on the Tyrannosaurus's rear side.

With the five zords joined together, the "tank-mode" of the Dinozord Megazord sped off, racing towards the Zeo Zords in a fearless approach.

The rangers teleported into the enlarged control center, all appearing to be awestruck at the Megazord's cockpit. "This is friggin' amazing!" Billy said in fascination.

"I know it's awesome, guys," Jason told them. "But we have to keep our eyes on the Zeo Zords, these things don't look like pushovers at all."

As if to confirm Jason's words, the phoenix Zeo Zord opened fire in their direction, sending down a storm of bolts that narrowly missed the Dino Megazord.

"Our turn!" Trini announced, tapping a few commands into a console. The Megazord's two large cannons fired a pair of green energy pulses, both streaming towards the mechanical bird-like entity and reaching its surfaces in a graceful pattern.

The pulses struck the fire bird Zeo Zord in the face, and detonated like demolition charges strapped to a bunker, engulfing the war machine in a cloud of flames and sending it spiraling to the ground.

"Am I the only one who found that ironic?" Kimberly asked with a witty tone, resulting in a temporary awkward silence.

Less than a moment later, the other Zeo Zords arrived to the scene, and the fire phoenix regained control, levitating in the air as if the attack had only stunned it.

"It's not over yet guys," Jason assured his team. "The other Zeo Zords are coming, and they look ready to-"

Before the red ranger could continue, the Zeo Zords began conducting a Megazord sequence of their own.

The Sphinx Zord ejected the couplings to the zords it towed, and floated into the air as its legs retracted and transformed into what appeared to be humanoid arms, while the zords it was pulling formed what resembled bipedal legs.

The bull zord did something similar, forming a lower abdomen and upper legs, while the fire pheonix zord formed a "head" and back component. The five Zeo Zords then came together, interlocking each of their components and couplings.

One of the top pieces of the statue Zeo Zords, the one that possessed the pink outlining, descended onto the head of the newly formed Megazord, forming a helmet with a cannon mounted on it.

"That must be the Zeo Megazord," Billy informed the team. "It looks like it has some kind of helmet system that gives it different abilities depending on what it's using."

Jason held the controls with a firm grip, unwilling to let this intimidate him. "It doesn't matter what abilities it has," Jason told everyone reassuringly. "The greatest factor in a weapon's effectiveness depends upon who's using it. Just because they have a more powerful Megazord _doesn't_ guarantee Team Armageddon victory. Let's prove it to them!"

"Let's send those nut-job bugs back to the shithole they came from!" Zack shouted, placing his hands on what looked like a large weapons trigger.

The Zeo Megazord suddenly fired a blast of pink-colored energy at the Power Rangers, the size growing every second of time.

"Now, Zack!" Jason shouted, cringing at deceasing distance between them and the attack. The black ranger squeezed the control, causing beams from all the connected zords to stream towards the Zeo Megazord's attack.

The energy-based projectiles made contact, turning themselves into sets of explosions that made shock-waves within the proximity of the battlefield. The Zeo Megazord removed the helmet it wearing, replacing it with the bull zord's head.

"What's it going to do now? Ram us with the bull horns?" Kimberly mused insultingly. The now-apparent helmet of the opposing Megazord glowed with a green aura, taking a few steps forward towards its attacker.

"Hey guys...I feel a little...weird," Trini said to everyone. "I feel kinda like how I did when I tested the zero gravity simulator back in middle school."

"Trini, that doesn't-" Jason said, stopping halfway when he looked out the viewport and saw that they were gradually starting to take flight. "That helmet's giving it the power to neutralize gravity! Zack, quick! Blast it off!"

Zack tapped a few commands in the weapons console, firing their Megazord's main cannons at the Zeo Megazord's helmet. The two bolts struck the top of the helmet, causing a blazing explosion to occur, which shattered the piece completely.

The rangers' vehicle dropped to the ground, halting its movement in the process. "We better use our Megazord mode," Billy advised in relief. "It seems that the Zeo Megazord's alternate helmets work best at longer range. If we force it to fight us in a close distance, we might have a chance."

"Not a bad idea, Billy," Jason said in approval. "Alright guys, time for the final test of the day. Megazord mode, now!"

The cannons and the Pterodactyl left the main body of the joined zords, as the Mastodon Zord's former cannons adjusted to turn into arms, while the Triceratops and Saber-Toothed Tiger zords formed the legs and feet.

The zord combination rose to stand upright, and the Tyrannosaurus's chest opened to send the T-rex head into the chest cavity, revealing another head. The Pterodactyl Zord then flew down and attached itself to form a chest piece.

"_Megazord, activated!_" said the disembodied voice of an unknown mechanical entity, of which originated from an external audio speaker.

* * *

"Whoa," Skull, the grey ranger said in awe. "Bulk...? Did you just see that?" The purple ranger came alongside his sidekick, and pounding his fists together in excitement.

"As I said with our power coins," Bulk replied, savoring the moment. "Undeniably cool, although let's not get too envious or awestruck. I don't know what the deal is with that other Megazord they're fighting against, but something tells me they're going to need our help."

"Wait a sec," Skull said in protest. "How are we going to help the other Power Rangers in this situation if we don't have zords of our own?"

Bulk tapped a panel on his visor, granting him a visual capability to "zoom in" on what he was looking upon. Bulk focused on what appeared to be an entryway into the enemy Megazord's engineering compartment, and grinned in grim satisfaction.

"Skull," Bulk laughed casually. "Let's just say all these years of setting things on fire, making bombs, and sabotaging vehicles can really be rewarding in terms of skill building, and the _proper_ Power Rangers equipped with it are truly the ones that end up saving the day.

* * *

With the Megazord formed and the Zeo Megazord's helmet missing, Jason wasted no time in calling for the Power Sword. "Alright guys, ready for a knife-fight?" Jason asked the other Power Rangers.

Out of nowhere, a red helmet appeared on the Zeo Megazord, providing it with a sword of its own. "Where'd that come from?" Zack blurted out in shock.

The Zeo Megazord then swung its Zeo Saber at the Dinozord Megazord, causing sparks to flare along its surface. "Oh no you don't!" Jason said, jerking his controls forward. The Dinozord Megazord punched the Zeo Megazord directly in the face, causing it to stumble backward.

Before the rangers' Megazord had to attack once more, the Zeo Megazord delivered a kick to the lower abdomen of its foe, knocking it over on its back. The Zeo Saber then began to glow with a multi-colored hue, forming a sphere of energy at the tip.

The Zeo Megazord then discharged a narrow, yet long beam at the other zord, stricking it directly in the chest.

Sparks and dense smoke flew out in several different areas of the Megazord cockpit, as the Power Rangers struggled to keep themselves from flying out of their seats and preventing the loss of their hearing from the alarms screaming throughout the area.

"Jason, somebody's contacting us!" Billy shouted, loud enough to make it through the alarms. The rangers' leader sighed explosively, and tapped a button on the command video console to see who was calling them.

"_I really would like it if you just let us KILL you already, power turds!_" a Team Armageddon agent said from the Zeo Megazord, its cockpit being equally clamorous and flooded with more spark showers.

Jason quickly gave the middle finger to the Team Armageddon soldier, and snapped off the video communication display. "Don't those guys ever shut up?" Zack growled in irritation.

The red ranger motioned the controls forward, and brought their Megazord back to its feet. The Zeo Megazord fired yet another beam, this one hitting the rangers' zord in the right arm, disabling it.

The Dino Megazord's remaining arm swung its sword at the enemy Megazord, making contact with its chest and opening its armor.

Jason then tapped an additional command, causing the giant war machine to fire another beam at its attacker. The beam hit the enemy Megazord directly in the portion of its missing armor, causing the hole to become even wider and exposing its smoldering internal components.

The Zeo Megazord then kicked the Dino Megazord in the chest, and forced it onto the ground, striking it multiple times in different spots.

Flames began to emerge in the damaged areas, and the Dino Megazord's outer armor began to gradually melt. Then, the Zeo Megazord stalled, motionless in place as it made no further movement at all.

"Guys, it's power is dropping!" Billy announced in surprise. "Let's finish it off while its disabled!"

The Dino Megazord got off the ground and stood on its feet, its sword lighting up with a fiery red glare, as its eyes began to flash as they did when the zord was fully activated at the end of the combination sequence. With lightning flashes and flares surrounding the Power Sword, the Dinozord Megazord initiated its finishing blow, and cut straight through the Zeo Megazord's center.

Once the attack was finished, small explosions rippled across the surfaces of the Zeo Megazord, followed by several large ones. First, the helmet it was wearing shattered like the others, and then its head came off of its body, tumbling down as it crashed to the ground in front of its feet.

The arms then fell out of their sockets, and landed in the dirt on either side. The torso also came unlatched in a similar manner, and smashed down on top of the zord's former head.

Once it came apart completely, the remains of the Zeo Megazord exploded into millions of pieces, leaving a cloud of thick black smoke behind. "We...we did it!" Trini gasped in excitement.

Jason sighed with relief as everyone else in the cockpit cheered over their victory; the alien threats of the day had been eliminated, the world could slumber yet again on the very night.

Goldar had been withdrawn, the putties and Team Armageddon soldiers had been dealt with, and Team Armageddon's stolen Megazord was now nothing more than burning metal fragments.

Peace had been restored for the time being, and Jason now knew that the Power Rangers could guarantee the safety of Earth.

For now, at least.

* * *

"Man, that was badass!" Skull laughed, thrilled at the destruction of the Zeo Megazord. "Those alien lunatics didn't even catch us going in there!"

Bulk kicked the burnt head of the demolished Zeo Megazord, and turned to face his comrade. "I bet the other Power Rangers don't even have a clue why this _Zeo_ Megazord went brain dead at the last second, right when Team Armageddon could have won!" Bulk boasted, overjoyed at the event. "Only my first day, and I want to do this the right of my-"

Bulk was suddenly engulfed in a veil of purple light, as Skull was also swallowed in an identical one, though the one covering him was grey. The two then found themselves spiraling into an unintelligible vortex, which ended with them being placed into a bizarre room.

"-life?" Bulk finally finished, observing his surroundings. "What the hell happened? Where are we?"

"Well done, Power Rangers," a powerful voice said from behind. "I congratulate you for your selfless...victory?"

Bulk and Skull turned to see what looked like the distorted head of an old man stuck in a glass tube, gazing at them in raw confusion.

"I didn't know getting sent to weird places with freaky floating heads was part of being a Power Ranger!" Skull exclaimed rudely.

"I am no ordinary floating head," the entity retorted. "I am Zordon of Eltar, the mentor of the Power Rangers as well as the one who provided them with their powers."

"Well, you didn't provide _us_ with _our_ powers," Bulk said to Zordon informatively. "So I assume we don't count?"

"Nonsense," Zordon responded. "You are Power Rangers yourselves, and as such, I have also witnessed your bravery and realized that you are equally worthy as the ones I have recruited. But because you are Power Rangers, you must abide by three tenants or lose your power. First, never use your power for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless the villains force you to. Finally, keep your identities secret, you can not allow anyone to know you are Power Rangers."

Bulk stepped in front of Skull, confronting Zordon directly. "Let me make a few things clear to, okay Mr. Floating Head?" Bulk started in full confidence. "Now the part with the secret identities, we'll follow, that's just common sense. But the others, that's up to us. You can't tell us what to do, and we will do whatever we want with our powers and will destroy the enemy when we feel the need. Other than that, it's not up to you. We got our powers on our own, we earned them and therefore we earned the entitlement to do whatever the hell we want."

Zordon looked as if he was about to counter Bulk's argument, and stopped when an odd robot came into the room.

"Zordon, I made a few errors when trying to teleport the rangers here," he told the strange being. "I locked onto the humans using power coins that aren't even linked to the morphing grid that Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy's powers run off of. So I'll have to...uh oh."

"_Those guys_ are the Power Rangers we met when we were fighting Team Armageddon?!" Skull shouted in disbelief.

"Wait, wait, wait," Bulk told him, trying to calm his sidekick down. "Skull, what did I say about keeping a low profile? Yeah, I'd love to rat Jason and his friends out too, but that means the feds will be onto us too. They might end up thinking _everyone_ at our school is a Power Ranger. And another thing, that little robot says _our_ power coins aren't linked to that morphing grid. That's proof that this Zordon guy has no control of our powers! We CAN do whatever we want with them!"

"Please," Zordon pleaded. "Do not do what I think you are going to do..." Bulk and Skull both shrugged and laughed at Zordon as if he had just pulled a wisecrack.

"Don't worry, Zordon of Eltar," Bulk snorted with sarcasm. "We aren't going to be douchebags and use our powers to harm innocent people. Just those who deserve it! By those who deserve it, I mean mostly Rita's slaves and those Team Armageddon losers."

"Farkas Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch, I know what you are planning on doing. Please do not," Zordon begged. "It is not the right thing to do and you will regret it-"

"Wait, how did you know our names?" Skull questioned in shock. Bulk waved Skull out of the way, and stood firm. "Skull, what harm can a floating head do to us outside of his tube without getting caught by the FBI?" Bulk stated, turning to face the ancient being. "Zordon, what we plan to do is none of your business, and today you KNOW who the bad guys are, and we're not included on that list. We won't use our powers to do what they did, we're better than that and you know it. But know this, we'll do whatever we want with our powers, and if you don't approve of it, tough shit."

Bulk and Skull stood near the viewing globe, and put their hands on their belts. "Alright Skull, let's hit it!" Bulk said, as he and his companion teleported out of the command center and went home.

A moment later, Jason and his own team appeared within the command center, all appearing to be excited over their victory, though exhausted at the same time.

"Rangers," Zordon began, sounding saddened for an odd reason. "Well done on your victory today, and although I would have wished all the things I have to say now to be positive, they are not. Do you recall the ones named Bulk and Skull?"

"Yeah," Zack answered with suspicion in his tone. "What about them?"

Zordon looked to Alpha, who seemed abnormally nervous.

"They have obtained power of the same principles as yours," he informed them somberly. "Bulk and Skull are Power Rangers themselves."


	7. Chapter 7: Into Darkness

Hello readers, here is chapter 7. Here, we see the rangers wrapping up their first day on the job, while Bulk and Skull also bring their day to a close. Meanwhile, Jason and Lucien Lachance The Second coincidentally meet again, and there Lucien reveals to Jason what was "supposed" to happen, and the alteration of Earth's destiny. Then, Jason receives proof of this right after.

As always, read, review, and enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Power Rangers franchise, only my own characters that I made.

* * *

"_I knew Zordon would go insane after having his head stuck in that glass tube for thousands of years._" - Lord Zedd

* * *

"Zordon, how can Bulk and Skull possibly be Power Rangers?" Jason questioned, his eyes narrowing in morbid suspicion. Zordon floated in his tube for a moment, gazing down at the leader of the Power Rangers with uncertainty.

"As I said earlier, Jason; the source of their power is based around what provides yours," the multi-dimensional entity stated. "Bulk and Skull have somehow obtained power coins and morphers much like what you have. However, their power coins are not linked to yours, and that means I have no way of moderating what they do."

Zack threw his arms up in the air, and turned his back to the group in frustration. "Damn, just when we thought the trouble was over for now," he sighed hopelessly. "Now we learn that the two biggest jackasses in Angel Grove get ranger powers!"

"Zack, I wouldn't get too wound up about this-" Trini tried to say, interrupted before she could finish.

"Trini, this is Bulk and Skull we're talking about!" he argued, his tone being a pure reflection of his stress. "We all know what they're willing to do _without_ having powers, just think of what they're gonna do now that they're Power Rangers!"

"Your concerns are fully validated, Zachery," Zordon said calmly. "But fear not, with all of you working as one, surely you can defeat Bulk and Skull just as you defeated the forces of evil today."

Jason glanced at Billy, who also seemed to be just as uneasy as Zack and equally pessimistic about their current situation. "Zordon...did Bulk and Skull actually come to the Command Center?" Billy asked fearfully.

"Yes Billy, they did. Bulk and Skull arrived to the Command Center due to Alpha's mistake," he answered with a grim tone. "They entered this chamber, and also learned that you are also Power Rangers yourselves."

Zack's facial expression twisted into an enraged grimace, looking as if he was about to shatter Zordon's tube, before Jason stopped him halfway.

"Zack, remember what you just said?" Jason reminded him patiently. "It's Bulk and Skull we're dealing with. Yes, we did see how capable they are in terms of combat and how far they're willing to go in order to win. But I wouldn't freak out either, we all know deep down that Bulk and Skull will never sink as low as Rita or Team Armageddon. After all, I they learned today just how rewarding being a hero feels like. If that's true, then we won't have to worry about them adding to the problems that the _real_ bad guys impose."

Jason heard a noise that resembled a faint hiss of static, and turned to face the viewing globe as the face of a N€tro soldier appeared on the screen.

"_Hmph, five ignorant-looking human teenagers in an old man's hiding spot,_" the alien chuckled insultingly. "_I figure it's time to introduce myself, so I'll go ahead and do so. Call me Malthus the Plague, I'm the leader of Team Armageddon and the one who will turn your world into my giant playground and testing field._"

"Oh yeah? You sure you're gonna get away with that, you alien piece of shi-" Zack tried to say, being held back by Jason.

"Hang on," Kimberly mused, stepping closer to the viewing globe. "What do you mean by testing field?"

"_Simple,_" Malthus responded, parting his mandibles in something that looked like a smile. "_Right now my servants are putting together a pile of gigantic cannons that can zap you all into a pack of savage undead animals that slowly come apart...that is, if you don't tear yourselves to pieces beforehand. All I need is to get everything else I need, and the last step is taking those coins you got on your belts. Heh heh..._"

"Something tells me that's not going to happen," Jason retorted with an adverse hiss. "We're going to crush you like the nasty insects you are, so don't flatter yourself."

"And something tells _me_ you got your alien head up your grainy ass, Malthus!" Zack added, insulting the Team Armageddon leader's species. "Jason's right, we're going to win in the end, and you'll be wishing you took on a career that didn't involve being a d-bag."

"_You sound just like my sister. That's the kind of arrogance I expect from teenagers,_" Malthus replied, taking a look at Zordon. "_Oh? Why hello, Zordon of Eltar. It's been a while, hasn't it?_"

"What is your purpose for this rude visual intrusion, Malthus?" Zordon questioned angrily.

"_Very simple, my ridiculous-looking friend,_" Malthus answered swiftly. "_I thought I would introduce myself to your teenage pawns, and let you all know that your days are numbered. Zordon, you should know by my track record that a simple little task force of human kids can't defeat me, even if they have super powers._

"_That Megazord they destroyed earlier wasn't intended to succeed, that was one of the few occasions where I tolerated failure, as I also want to destroy your lackeys' future. Today proves that Team Armageddon has enough resources, and nobody has any chance of stopping me._

_ "Mark my words Zordon, Rita will not defeat me, and neither will you. The two of you and your petty minions will eventually become either food or simple target practice for me. And as for you, Power Rangers; I hope you enjoy watching your families and friends getting turned into filthy mindless savages that will eat each other alive!_"

The viewing globe instantly deactivated, leaving the teens with frightened looks on their faces. "We shouldn't let this creep get to us," Jason said to the group. "It's just another alien who's ego gets in the way of his intellect, we can take him down too."

"Well said, Jason. This is why you are the leader of the Power Rangers," Zordon told the teens reassuringly. "That is the precise confidence you will all require in the future. Also rangers, there is one more thing that must be done before I send you home. And that of course, is the rules you have to follow as Power Rangers.

"First, never use your power for personal gain, you must never sink as low as the villains. Second, never intensify a battle unless Rita or Malthus forces you to. Lastly, do not allow anyone to know you are a Power Ranger. Some might already be aware of this, but never let anyone else know for the sake of your welfare."

The five teens exchanged calm looks, all nodding at each other before they made eye-contact with Zordon. "I agree to all of them," Jason answered with a grin. "I'm even willing to do this forever if I can."

"Count me in too," Zack added with extreme optimism. "This is way too awesome for me to pass up!"

"I want to join in on this also!" Trini said happily.

"This is the best thing I've ever done in my life," Billy told everyone in absolute excitement. "I'll definitely participate, you can guarantee that for sure."

"Hmm, I don't know," Kimberly muttered in a manner that surprised everyone. "The outfits and all the other things are cool, but my hair gets messed up in the helmet and...I don't know..."

"You're not seriously considering throwing this out the window, are you Kim?" Trini protested in disbelief.

"Oh come on, guys!" Kimerbly laughed. "Honestly, this is way too cool for me to reject!"

"Very good indeed, I thank all of you for your selfless decisions. But be aware, our adversaries may choose any moment to attack. But for now, use this opportunity to rest for the future."

Then, without warning, the Power Rangers watched the color-coded veils of light wrap around them, and sending them out of the Command Center to yet another different location.

* * *

Bulk and Skull landed face-first onto the grass, both de-morphing at the same time as they rolled over to the sides.

"Oof! I didn't know teleportation was this rough..." Skull moaned, struggling to stand up with his eyes closed. Bulk rose up himself, and took a glance at the surroundings, which happened to be their neighborhood in the afternoon.

"Nobody said we would know everything from the start," Bulk informed his friend sternly. "Remember, this is day one of us being Power Rangers, and that means neither us nor Jason's team knows _exactly_ what we're doing. We still got stuff to learn, but I doubt fighting the bad guys is going to be any more difficult than it was today."

Bulk turned around to see the driveway of Skull's house, which also was devoid of any vehicles, just bare with the grass barely sticking out of the cracks.

"Looks like our parents are still at work," Bulk snickered maliciously, then looking at his sidekick. "Well Skull, you want to build some bombs for the rest of the day?"

Skull gave his longtime friend a thumbs-up, still having some amount of energy left in spite of the previous fight. "Good thing we live next door to each other," Skull sighed, sounding relaxed. "Really saves me the trip of taking all that black powder over..."

Bulk strolled over to the rear door of his garage, and casually opened it to allow his friend to enter. "I got a feeling things are going to get a lot better from here on out," Bulk said with a laugh, turning on the lights. "What's your mom making for dinner, Skull? Anything that I'd...enjoy?"

Bulk's eyes widened in surprise as he saw a raven-haired teenager eating out of the trashcan, making an odd gargling sound between each bite. The adolescent was wearing no clothing with the exception of his underwear, and was covered in mud, grime, fecal matter, and various other foul substances that stuck to his skin like glue.

"Hey kid, what the hell do you think you're doing in my garage?" Bulk shouted, throwing a paper airplane at him. The boy discontinued, and looked at Bulk as he had been asked the most difficult question in existence.

"What's a garage?" he asked idiotically, both of his eyes pointing in separate directions.

"Hey Bulk, what's with that stink? It smells like a dead rabbit covered in horse shit," Skull coughed, covering his nose. "Who's this, anyway?"

"Oh yeah, what's your name?" Bulk asked the individual. The seemingly unintelligent teenager scratched his head, his facial expression representing one of raw confusion.

"What's a name?" he inquired, drooling excessively. Bulk and Skull exchanged awkward looks, their eyes twitching at the awkward situation.

"What's wrong with this kid?" Skull asked, reaching into his pockets. "Not sure," Bulk replied quickly. "What I do know is that he's not going to stay in here much longer. Alright kid, get out of here!"

"How do I do that?" he mumbled, beginning to roll around in an odd pattern around Bulk's motorcycle.

"Simple, you get up and walk out!" Bulk explained briefly. A vein popped on the forehead of the confused teenager, just as a morbid grimace formed on his face.

"ME NO UNDERSTAND IT!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Before Bulk could react, the boy began bashing his head against the motorcycle repeatedly, causing multiple dents in metal.

"Hey, stop that you idiot, you're wrecking it!" Bulk yelled, grabbing the teenager and forcing him off of the vehicle. "Skull, I think I know what's wrong with this kid. It's obvious, he's a total retard."

"What's a retard?" he gibbered with drool flowing out of his mouth like a waterfall.

* * *

Jason watched the veil of light vanish in front of him, and looked around at the surroundings of the area he and his team had arrived to. "Home sweet home," Zack announced with a clap. "We're back at the school!"

Jason heard the sound of a bell ringing off behind him, and knew that they had arrived in the late afternoon right at the end of the school session, giving him the sense of relief he was craving.

"The timing couldn't have been better," Jason commented with a smile, taking a look at his wrist garment. "Alright, I'm going to head back to my house. See you guys-"

"Jason, hang on..." Zack interrupted calmly, waving his hand in front of his best friend. "Weren't we all gonna head out to see a movie tonight?"

"Sorry I didn't tell you guys earlier," their leader began, putting his hands in his pockets. "I have something I need to take care of at home, it's too important for me to put off. I'll have to come another time..."

"It's okay, Jason," Trini told him kindly. "We can just go another time, like maybe later this week?"

Jason nodded and began walking towards the direction where his friend's home was, waving at his friends before he left. "Later..." he whispered, though his friends could still hear him.

_Time to get this over with,_ Jason sighed within his thoughts. _I sure as hell hope Rita and Team Armageddon can find something else to do for the rest of the day._

* * *

Later that evening, Jason arrived back home, and approached the front yard with an impending sense of dread within him. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought, preparing to go up to the doorstep.

Jason then noticed a man in black robes standing near the living room window, and immediately knew who it was once he saw the firearm in his right pocket.

"Need help leaving, Lucien?" Jason snarled with an ugly tone. The assassin turned to face Jason, though unlike before, the look on his face was purely pacifistic.

"Dear child, I have no desire to cause harm," Lucien informed Jason with a saddened tone. "I am here to pay my respects to the loss that is about to occur."

"What are you talking about?" Jason questioned morbidly. Lucien gestured towards the front door, resuming his focus on what was within the living room.

"Jason…there is a reason why narcotics tend to be outlawed," Lucien replied mournfully. "I wonder what my ancestor would think of me right now, taking into account that I do not appreciate death as much as he did…"

"What are you sayin-" Jason was about to ask, before realizing the implications of Lucien's statement.

Without warning, Jason watched the front door of his house swing open, and saw his sister sprinting outside. Before Jason could do anything, his sister jumped into the family sedan through the open window, and locked the doors to the car.

Then, Jason's sibling drove off, and hurried out towards the sunset at a speed that he never thought the vehicle was capable of.

"We both know where she is going," Lucien told Jason. "I have done my research on your family, and my assumptions seemed to have proven correct. Though you and your father are exceptions, your household companions are clearly afflicted with drug abuse."

Jason looked Lucien in the eye with a glare that could make even Goldar cower in fear, and mentally prepared himself to interrogate the stranger.

"How did you do your _research_ and where did you get this information?" Jason growled, nearly an inch away from Lucien. "And another thing, why is it that you seem to know what's going to happen?"

Lucien sighed explosively, and looked off towards the sunset. "Today I have learned that the chances of you posing a threat to my mission are slim," he answered quickly. "And after figuring out more about your world, I've come to the conclusion I can share this information with you without the risk of ruining things.

"Now I shall tell you; Jason, I have learned of this world's secrets through my father's spirit. He has told me everything I wanted to know, including information about you, your friends, and your future…or, _what was supposed to be your future._

"Due to today's events, I assume you have been introduced to Team Armageddon. They are the reason why today's events did not go how they were supposed to, their method of transportation brought them back here, to this time period and on your world.

"Therefore, they have altered events significantly. Originally, the only extraterrestrial threat during this time was supposed to be Rita Repulsa. That, and the ones you know as Bulk and Skull were not supposed to be Power Rangers-"

"Wait, how do you know about that?" Jason interrupted, his suspicion growing fiercely.

"Somehow, they obtained power coins of their own," Lucien replied. "And they figured out how to utilize them. In the original timeline, they never gained anything of the sort.

"That is yet more material to add to my point, and for that reason I can safely say that many of the events that will occur in the future will be entirely unpredictable. However, that does not mean that there is no inevitability left. In fact, Team Armageddon has created new ones due to their presence alone."

"Like what, exactly?" Jason inquired, this time with less hostility.

"I can not foresee what all of them are right now," Lucien responded. "But I do know of one that is moments away from happening, and that is your sister Linda's death."

Jason instantly looked around for a method of transportation, and saw that no other vehicles were left. "Is there anyway I can stop that from happening?!" Jason shouted.

"I believe your power coin will allow you to teleport to certain locations that your animal spirit approves of," Lucien informed him. "Though it won't take you everywhere, I know it will at least allow you to teleport to where your sister is going to."

"Good enough!" Jason replied, grabbing his morpher. _Take me to where she's going,_ Jason thought, imagining where Linda was heading.

The red ranger pulled together his thoughts, and imagined his sister's destination, the edge of a mountain that overlooked a canyon, the light from the sunlight still shining over it.

The red veil of light the carried him to the Command Center hours earlier appeared once again, this time taking Jason to his sister's point of arrival.

* * *

The veil of light quickly vanished, letting the leader of the Power Rangers touch the ground, several feet away from the road. _I really should have planned this out beforehand,_ Jason thought. _Still…_

Jason spotted an emergency phone sitting next to a street lamp, and felt a pinch of relief for a moment. _Alright, _he thought, conjuring up the necessary words to say to the operator. _Dial 911 and get some help over-_

Before the red ranger could do anything, Jason noticed his family's car charging across the road at a deadly speed in the corner of his eyes, and jumped aside.

The sedan missed him by two feet, and broke through the road barriers, falling down into the near-bottomless canyon with a trail of black smog following it. "Linda! **NO!**" he bellowed hysterically, falling to his knees. "No….no…."

Jason pounded his fists into the dirt, watching the car disappear into the depths below, followed by a barely visible explosion.

The red ranger replayed the happy memories of him and his female sibling in his mind, and felt overwhelming senses of sorrow and regret.

Jason stared into the pits below, and for the first time in years, all rationality had left him.

Although he knew the benefits of him being there at the scene, Jason rose to his feet and turned away, beginning to walk home with nothing in his mind whatsoever.

Though he could easily teleport, Jason only felt like pacing his way home, doing everything he could to keep himself together.

Today had been bitter-sweet, a city had been saved, and Jason along with his friends had become Power Rangers. Although, this day had been ruined by the death he had just witnessed.

In addition to defending Earth from Rita and Malthus, Jason had now gained yet another mission, one that was on a personal level and involved fewer people.

"It's what Linda would want," Jason whispered to himself. "I have to get rid of the stuff, no matter how much they love it."


	8. Chapter 8: Diseased Hunger - Part 1

Welcome to chapter 8, it has been one week since the rangers had their first battle with the villains, and they have been steadily adjusting their lives to adapt to the changes that their duties had demanded. Meanwhile, Rita gains a better understanding of the full scale of how their destinies have been altered, and plans to use that to her advantage.

**DISCLAIMER:** It is quite obvious that myself, and no other fanfiction author owns Power Rangers, only their own characters that they made.

* * *

"_It's futile! The world will betray you! Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later?_"

* * *

Days had passed since the extraterrestrial threat had arrived, and the Power Rangers had been created to combat the added threat to human civilizations.

The deadly battles had been fought, the rangers had defeated the enemies, and returned home to rest for the evening. Now on this morning, the rangers next day of school had begun, and all were sincerely hoping that none of the villains were planning to attack.

Bulk and Skull were no exceptions, as the two were approaching school in their motorcycle, both bearing somber facial expressions in spite of Bulk's confidence for today.

"I don't know, Bulk. Zordon probably told them we're Power Rangers too," Skull said skeptically. "They'd probably use that against us if we keep up the routine we had before yesterday…"

Bulk eased their vehicle into the parking space they claimed since the start of their school careers, and gave his side-kick a look of unmistakable frustration.

"Skull, use your brain. Do you really think Jason and his buddies are THAT stupid?" Bulk addressed in irritation. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled going to the same school with them now either, given the possibility that they won't think we're the good guys. But take a look at the facts; if they rat us out then the cops will investigate the school for the other five rangers.

"And also take into account at their daily attire, the outfits they wear match their ranger colors. Angel Grove cops might have the indiscriminate policy, but they definitely aren't dumb. Another thing you shouldn't forget is that the feds will be in this too, and they can find out this stuff without trying as long as they got the warrant for it.

"So, if the other rangers reveal the secret, they're screwed too. And if they get in our way, we can just pound the crap out of them. Now, let's go to class and take advantage of what we've been-"

Bulk stopped at the sight of the man who assisted them in becoming Power Rangers walking directly into the school, the one they had discovered was Lucien Lachance, and cringed at what was going to happen today. "Skull, looks like this will be day two of kicking ass as Power Rangers."

* * *

"Just as I thought," Rita said to the creator of her monsters, gazing at the scene through her telescope. "You were right, Finster. It looks like our destinies were altered even before last week, Jason's family didn't receive this much attention in the original timeline, and they weren't victims of drug problems either."

Rita discontinued surveying Angel Grove High School through her utility, and slowly paced around the throne room.

"There was also no mention of the death of Jason's sister," Rita continued, occasionally taking looks at Earth. "And those other zords weren't even created yet, they were made years after my escape."

Goldar entered the room lazily, his armor appearing to be fully repaired from yesterday's battle, though his facial expression was rather negative.

"What's the plan, my queen?" the usually eager warrior inquired. Rita noticed Goldar's unhappy attitude, and snorted in disappointment at the mood. Despite this, Rita was still willing to tell her favored soldier her plans, knowing that there was no negative repercussion in doing so.

"Goldar, as you already know, Team Armageddon has changed the destinies we were _supposed_ to have," Rita explained confidently. "However, this is sort of a benefit because we actually have a chance in succeeding. I read into this a bit more, and I learned of something disturbing; most evil is the original timeline was destroyed just as we were about to win.

"Apparently, every evil force in the universe had aligned with one another, and together we defeated the forces of good one by one. We were all about to gain control, and defeated most of the Power Rangers out there. Zordon was taken prisoner, and held hostage until a red ranger named Andros intervened.

"Zordon configured himself to destroy all evil in the universe if his tube was shattered, and the evil that wasn't destroyed was turned human. So, Andros cracked open Zordon's energy tube, and we lost everything. You and everyone else that served me was killed by his sacrifice, as were the minions of other villains.

"Me, Zedd, and Divatox were turned into _humans_ and all evil in us was washed away. My dream…it never came to pass because of that bastard, so I'm thankful that this alternate timeline has been made and I found out what happened.

"In the last few days before this one I found out what was happening in this timeline before I was freed, and why Andros is no longer a threat. Apparently, Team Armageddon started up a war that gained several other factions that acted as participants. Andros, and all of the other Power Rangers have been killed in the crossfire.

"The only ones left are the rangers that Zordon recruited, and those two arsonists that torment their school's staff. However, the other forces of evil were also killed in the war. I've learned that as of now, me and Lord Zedd are the only evil rulers left of our universe."

Rita paused for a moment, and smiled after she remembered the other positives of the situation. "As I said, this also a benefit," Rita continued. "This means that nobody else can conquer the universe except me, and I'll come up with a way to take Zedd out of the picture!"

Goldar didn't seem phased by Rita's words, his unhappy mood was the only thing the witch received from him.

"Goldar, cut the crap right now! We're going to win this fight and _you know it_," Rita snapped harshly. "My next move is gonna prove that! Team Armageddon left a loophole to the realm they came from, and that place has plenty of things I can use to gain leverage in this fight. You want proof?"

The orb of Rita's wand glowed with a dull red hue, and sent out a small bolt of lightning at the floor, triggering a humanoid figure to materialize out of the light.

"Goldar, meet Reedarion," the empress said with a grin of grim anticipation. "This guy will demoralize the Power Rangers until they turn evil themselves!"

Rita saw the entity take on a form should wouldn't have expected, a pale-skinned human wearing torn, brown clothing with dirty dark brown hair hanging over the right side of his head. His left eye was colored red, while the right had a yellow coloration to it.

"He looks like a stoner who got out of solitary confinement prematurely," Goldar said to Rita rudely. "Are you sure you want him to help us?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Goldar," the empress of evil growled. "I've seen examples of what Reedarion can do, and he'll get the job done."

"Call me Reed, and it's an honor, _my queen_," he snickered, before giggling madly. "I'll be sure to ruin the lives of the Power Rangers, and make Zordon go away without killing him. Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!"

_I'm going to kill him after he accomplishes his mission, _Rita thought grimly. _That giggle is way too annoying!_

* * *

Zack stretched his arms as he sat down at his desk for his first period class, and mentally prepared himself to comfort Jason. Both he and Skull were currently the only ones in the classroom, though fortunately Skull had not pestered the dancer yet.

Due to barely receiving any kind of news on the subject just as he woke up, Zack did not have a legitimate idea on how to cheer up his best friend this morning, especially since it involved he death of a family member.

In spite of this, Zack was unwilling to allow the red ranger to remain in absolute sorrow, and Jason needed to be a good mood seeing as how they were currently in school.

The black ranger then saw Jason entering the class room, and noticed that Jason looked more depressed than he ever thought possible.

Before Zack had the chance to say anything, he noticed Skull stepping in front of the rangers' leader with an antagonistic grin on his face.

"Hey, karate master!" Skull sneered, holding a newspaper in his hands. "You ready to lose to Bulk in a contes-"

Jason pushed Skull out of the way, though not hard enough to knock him over, and proceeded to sit down next to Zack.

"What? I was just messing around!" Skull said, taking a seat behind Zack. "Sheesh, you go from being goody-goody to hard ass in such a short time. Did Zordon fire you already?"

"No he didn't, _grey ranger_," Zack answered for Jason, causing Skull to instantly silence himself. "Jason just lost a family member, so shut it if you don't have anything helpful to say."

Skull gazed at Zack in disbelief, slowly setting his newspaper on his desk as he snapped out of the brief trance. "Damn, Rita knows about our personal lives _already_?" Skull muttered, his left eye twitching at the concept.

"It wasn't Rita, knucklehead. It was caused by a problem that Jason doesn't want to tell anyone else about," Zack explained. "Look, you and Bulk should just give Jason a break today. I know you don't like us, and we sure as hell don't like you. But even if we're on different teams, we have to cooperate somehow at times. And right now, you and your pal need to quit annoying us for at least one day."

Skull opened the first page of the newspaper he collected, and sighed remorsefully. "Well, would you look at this! Talk about ungrateful," Skull laughed sarcastically. "They think we're bad guys even though we saved millions of them from Rita and Team Armageddon's soldiers."

Skull handed Zack the newspaper, and saw pages filled with nothing but demonizing articles about the Power Rangers. Skull folded the newspaper shut, and placed it under his desk as the sounds of their fellow students approaching.

Once their classmates were seated, Zack saw an unusual-looking individual enter the classroom, and stood in front with lethargic look on his face.

The person appeared to be quite young, having the body shape of a thin young adult, although his face looked like that of a teenager's. He had relatively tanned skin with a few scars in several different places, brown eyes that appeared to have some pseudo-glow to them, dark black hair, and strange attire.

Though his black pants appeared to be regular, his T-shirt had a strange symbol on it, and it appeared that he had a few black feathers growing out of the back of his head.

"Hi," he greeted with a lazy tone in his youthful-sounding voice, one of which had a finnish accent. "I'm sure you all know what happened to your teacher last week, and you have my condolences for that reason. Unfortunately, the substitute teacher couldn't make it here, so I'll have to do. I'm the assistant for the person who will be your new literature teacher, who can't come yet due to preparation reasons. However, I was able to come beforehand. My name…just call me Levi."

Zack leaned over to Jason in suspicion, knowing that something was clearly out of place. "He looks way too young to be a teacher's aid," the black ranger whispered to his leader. "And look at the stuff he's wearing, and he's got feathers sticking out of his hair. Something ain't right, the bad guys or Lucien might be trying to pull a trick here."

Jason was about to protest Zack's accusation, and was stopped by Skull waving his hand between them. "Jason, before you dismiss your buddy's accusation, I got evidence also to back that up…!" Skull added. "Me and Bulk caught Lucien coming in here before school started. We've dealt with guys like him before, and even though they seem alone at first, they eventually get their pals to come along if they think they can't get the job done themselves."

"So what do you think this one is here for?" Zack asked in suspicion. Skull looked at the teacher's aid for a minute, and nodded as if he was mentally confirming something.

"He's probably here to stalk us," Skull informed his peer. "Or Lucien sent him to take out any spy of Rita's or Team Armageddon's, or both. I don't know for sure though, it looks like he's ignoring us."

The apparent "Levi" began handing out copies of a strange-looking book to each of the students, and lazily returned to the front of the class as he opened the one he was holding.

"This book is called Decaying Uprising," he told the class calmly, looking at the first page. "It's a horror novel about the angry ghost of a guy who was mad over not gaining ideological supremacy over the world, and losing his life made him want to raise an army of undead creatures to gain revenge. And what gruesome revenge it is…!"

Zack felt his spine tingle when he saw the amused smile on Levi's face, and gave Jason an unsure look. "When class is over we have to talk to Zordon," Jason muttered in prime suspicion. "I get the feeling this guy is up to no good."

* * *

_Hee hee hee hee hee_, Reed giggled within his mind. _I was so…powerless. But Rita, she'll give me all the power I want…all the control I want. Anything I want…maybe even the dragon coin…!_

Reed smiled as the veil of teleportation energy vanished over him, and looked at his surroundings to find that he was within Angel Grove High School, right outside Zack and Jason's literature class.

_Excellent_, he thought with grim satisfaction. _Now, I'll just pop this scroll, and-_ The insane infiltrator unfolded the scroll Rita had given him, and touched the interior with his thumb, triggering a green aura to surround the paper surfaces dimly.

With a brief flash, the scroll vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind. _Perfect, _Reed snickered in his thoughts. _Even though it's a slight drop, the power losers are certainly going to gain negative attention in terms of grades. The police might not actively assume all teens are Power Rangers, but this school's staff might!_

Reed carefully made his way to the class he had chosen for first period, and opened the door to make his entry, then stopped at the sight of an individual that he hoped to never encounter again.

_Rita altered my appearance,_ the saboteur thought anxiously. _And my voice, my voice too…he can't recognize me, he can't! He won't…he won't know…will he? No, he's not ruining things for me again! No way, I'll ask Rita to send me help, and…yeah, and Goldar, he can't take Goldar by himself! And he certainly won't blow _his _own cover…will he?_

Levi briefly discontinued his own narration of the book, sniffing the air and turning his attention to Reed. "Hee…hee…hi, um…mister? Um…" Reed stammered, easing his way into the classroom, looking desperately for a free desk.

"Yeah…take a seat," he grumbled, pointing to the desk in the back of the room. "Keep that annoying giggle to yourself, please."

Reed trembled in fear as he made his way to the empty desk, and took a seat as he quickly thought of ways to keep his former opponent from ruining his mission.

The imp's train of thought suddenly halted at the sound of the school bell going off, and all of the students left the room the very second each of them had the chance.

"Nice meeting you, Jason, Zack, and Skull," the apparent teacher's aid said to the teenagers, before looking at Reed. "You, stay here for a few minutes."

Reed nervously got out of his seat, and made his way to the front desk. "Y-yes, sir?" he stuttered in fear. Levi gave Reed a glare that had a level of viciousness he hadn't seen in years, and felt his blood racing through his veins painfully.

"You smell just like him," Levi growled, tightening the gloves he wore. "Of course anyone could smell him practically miles away due to his nasty ass hygiene, but not as good."

_My cover is being blown already, _Reed thought in horror. _It's not even afternoon and I'm already screwed._

"I'm wondering, are you a relative of him? Did you get a makeover and a voice change? Or is it all a crazy coincidence," the unusual human continued. "I'm betting the other teachers don't even know who you are, but I might, and Zordon might. And if Zordon knows who you and you _are_ him, then…that's going to be no good for you, will it be? Tell me, are you still doing the lone wolf game, or did you give up and decide to have that power and control handed to you and are working for someone who gave you the false promise of that?"

"You…you WILL NOT…or…no, you can't! You can't do this, you don't even know who me! You don't…you don't know who I am!" Reed shouted irrationally. "If you…even dare to ruin my life or make my experience here a nightmare, you WILL pay the price!"

Levi suddenly grabbed Reed by the throat, and threw him into the back wall, sending Reed crashing into the closet.

"Actually Reed, I won't…I hear the Angel Grove cops aren't too nice to people they think are criminals," Levi hissed in fury. "And they let anyone pound the crap out of them before they get sent to prison, even break a few of their bones."

Reed stood up, wiping the blood off of his face, cringing at the fact that his adversary still hadn't lost his brutal savagery. Although, there was a possibility that another thing hadn't changed about him, his inability to defeat opponents stronger than him.

"You won't win, you nutty asshole!" Reed barked insanely. "Rita, Lucien brought his band of savages with him, get Goldar and the putties down here before he finishes me!"

"_What, you can't take a weaponless human?! Alright, you coward! I'll let Goldar do some of your work for you!_" Rita complained via telepathy.

In less than a minute, a sphere of golden light appeared within the center of the classroom, and dropped Goldar with a squad of putties into the area.

"Oh shit…" Levi muttered under his breath, as if stunned at the fact that he had to take on Goldar himself.

"Well, looks like I get to beat up one of Lucien's boys. I hear you're the second best he's got, let's see if you live up to that theory!" Goldar taunted arrogantly.

"Like I'm going to lose to a golden monkey and a bunch of magically animated play-doh puppets?" Levi snorted insultingly.

"What did you just call us?!" Goldar shouted, charging at Levi without drawing his sword. "Take this, dickhead!" The overconfident warrior delivered a double kick to the mysterious human, sending him flying over the teacher's desk due to Goldar's incredible strength.

"I got this one, you go get the Power Rangers!" Goldar told Reed. "If you fail, I'll stomp you to paste next time Rita turns me into a giant!"

Reed shoved Goldar into a nearby desk, and sprinted for the next place where the Power Rangers were going.

* * *

"Alright, this looks like a secure spot," Jason told Zack, pointing to the lockers. "Let's wait until the others go ahead and come here. Maybe we can get Bulk and Skull to-"

As if in response to Jason's next course of action, the wrist communicators he and Zack were wearing gave the typical set of beeps they received whenever the Command Center contacted them.

Jason and Zack exchanged unsure looks, and both pressed the answer buttons with full skepticism. "We read you Zordon," Jason confirmed quietly. "What's going on?"

"_Rangers, Rita has sent a newer minion of hers directly into your school,_" Zordon informed them swiftly. "_The minion has also brought Goldar with him, and he has engaged one of Lucien's allies in battle, the specific one who was assigned to capture the spies Rita creates._"

Jason and Zack looked at each other in surprise, and returned focus to Zordon after processing the information.

"_You must act quickly, this particular minion plans to hunt down each of you and cause untold amounts of devastation,_" Zordon explained. "_If he is not stopped….it could result in all of you using your powers to cause destruction to everyone out of insanity. Please, act quickly before it's too late._"

Before Jason could ask Zordon the details of who they were looking for, the communication line went dead. "That can't be good…" Zack said grimly, then seeing a putty flying out of the room they were just in.

* * *

Reed bolted down the hallway as fast as his legs would allow, feeling his body already coming apart from the strain.

"I can't maintain this much longer," he gasped. "Where's the pink ranger? The directions said she would be here?"

Reed then stopped at the sight of Kimberly switching books at her locker, and panted in relief that he finally found her. The demented agent removed his needles from the backpack he was wearing, and slowly approached her.

"Tell me, Kim," Reed began, panting as he struggled to maintain balance. "What do you fear most in life?"

Kimberly turned her attention to Reed, giving him a look of confusion mixed with adversity. "Excuse me?" she questioned immediately.

"Right now I'm weak," Reed responded. "But after I destroy you, Rita will make me strong!"


	9. Chapter 9: Diseased Hunger - Part 2

"See, I did a bunch of stuff that people think is wrong," Reed explained, his tone weakening per word. "But I only did it because I had to, and people still criticized me anyway."

Kimberly's right eye twitched slightly at the statement, her expression indicating wholesome confusion. "Okay weirdo, I'm going to turn the other way now," she warned with an unfriendly tone. "And if you follow me, you're going to be one unhappy little creep. Got it?"

Reed quickly stuck his needles into Kimberly's clothing, focusing all of his power on them. _I need to remember…remember-that's it,_ he thought frantically. _The immobilization shock!_

The obstructive individual sent the invasive pulses into his target, causing Kimberly to close her eyes with a groan, and fall to the ground with the needles remaining within her clothing.

"That was too easy," Reed giggled passively. "Now to the safe area…" Reed calmly searched his mind for solutions, remembering the basic information about Angel Grove's apparent "safe zones" that the police did not regularly inspect.

Rita's temporary demon picked Kimberly off of the floor, and carried her on his back as he walked down the path that led him out of the school.

"Jason's house has too much daily activity, and given the fact that his family is crazy…they would quickly suspect that I'm up to something," he whispered to himself, pondering where to go. "Screwing things up for Trini wouldn't really cause a critical blow to the team, and ruining Bulk and Skull's careers as Power Rangers wouldn't be as bad considering that they don't have what's needed to take out giant monsters or Team Armageddon's zords or other huge war machines…so that leaves…"

An "ear-to-ear" smile formed on Reed's face, the sudden realization filling him full of excitement and stimulation.

"None of the other rangers on Jason's team are as capable of leadership as Jason himself or Zack! Zack is the only other Power Ranger on Jason's team that can successfully lead them, and Bulk would never join a team that had any of his rivals in it!" Reed continued. "If I take Kimberly to Zack's house and the Angel Grove police find out alien magic screwed Kim up, they'll take Zack into custody and then…then I'll take advantage of additional trauma to Jason, and I'll destroy him too! Then…Rita will grant me whatever I want. I think…I'll take the dragon power coin, and then I'll become a Power Ranger too! And then…_I'll kill everyone on this pointless world!_ Hee hee hee hee HEE HA HA HA HA **HA**!"

* * *

Skull felt his bones tingle at the echo from the sounds in the upper floor, shivering at the half annoying, half horrific noises that resembled insane giggling.

_Something tells me Rita's already bored of sitting around on that moon castle_, Skull thought, disturbed at the prospect. _A little anxious about taking over our world, and destroying me and the other rangers too. Rita's guys might be wimps, but knowing how these super villains think, they always up their game after they get screwed. Even though me and Bulk can kick Goldar's ass by ourselves, Rita's probably using something tougher this time._

Though Skull continually told himself he was formidable and stronger than anyone in the school (with the exception of Bulk), the grey ranger was unable to control his current angst, twitching at the possibility of losing the next fight.

_Argh, screw it,_ Skull cursed within his mind. _Even though me and Bulk are the _true_ Power Rangers, I can't afford messing this up. I hate cops and the law, I'm not letting them save the day or get the opportunity inspect our school! As much as I don't like Jason or Zordon's other pathetic excuses for Power Rangers, I'm not gonna risk a loss!_

Skull instantly dashed for the lockers that the other rangers used, his eyes watering with tears from the desperation he was feeling.

Just as the rebellious ranger saw the dancer and martial arts master, Skull nearly tripped as he stopped himself, sighing explosively with relief when he sat down on the floor.

"I never thought I'd say this, not once in my whole damn life!" Skull exclaimed dramatically. "But I am freaking glad to see you two. Anyways, let me sum it up; I hear a freaky giggle from upstairs, and felt really weird half a second later. I think Rita's up to something."

Zack and Jason briefly glanced at each other, mutually shrugging before returning their focus to Bulk's sidekick.

"It's not just you," Jason informed him. "We saw a putty flying from a room we can't get into now, and even though that putty is dead, Rita's definitely ordered a strike on somebody in school. And she also did it without alerting anyone in here."

"Not only that, but our communicators aren't working either. Zordon called us earlier," Zack added, briefly pausing halfway. "But then the whole freq died, and we can't get any more info on what's going on. Rita _is_ doing something for sure, and we all know it ain't ever good."

Skull briefly raised his finger to add his input, but was suddenly wrapped within the grey light that was used when he teleported. "Oh no you don't!" Skull shouted, placing his hands on his morpher to force the energy out.

"Skull, hang on," Jason said in protest. "If Zordon's willing to bring _you_ to the command center, it's for a good reason that you're probably not going to disagree with."

"…Fine!" Skull grumbled defiantly. The rebellious potential criminal took his hands off his morpher, and allowed the grey capsule of light to wrap over him, as the red and black veils did the same with Jason and his best friend.

The three Power Rangers were then swept into the pathways that led to the command center, flying through the interdimensional streams with amazement.

Jason landed between the two frontal consoles of the command center, struggling to maintain his balance due to not yet adapting to the dizzying sensation of teleportation.

The red ranger turned to see that Zack and Skull were equally dazed, although they too managed to regain focus.

""Rangers, I apologize for abruptly teleporting you here without warning," Zordon said, his tone identical to one of guilt and pessimism. "But I can not allow you to continue onward without knowing what awaits, because the nature of Rita's attack is far too much of a threat to Kimberly, and also poses a danger to the safety of Zack's family-"

"Wait, what?!" Zack interrupted irrationally. "What do you mean it's a threat to Kim and my family?!"

Zordon briefly glanced at Zack apprehensively, looking as if he was about to say something remarkably grim.

"Zachery, the minion that Rita is using to harm Kimberly is also taking her to your home in order to attract the attention of the law enforcement," the rangers' mentor explained. "One of your family members will undoubtedly send the police to deal with him, and when they discover the powers he uses, they will believe that this individual was intentionally trying to harm the Power Rangers. They will assume you are a ranger yourself, and…"

Zordon discontinued and stared off into space, unable to complete the sentence. "I get it," Zack confirmed, giving Zordon a respect nod. "But I also got a question, why didn't you call the others and teleport them here? Can't they help too?"

Alpha then entered the central room of the command center, appearing to be equally nervous himself. "I can explain that," the sentient machine told the group. "Rita was able to create a temporary dampening field that blocked out all wireless communications.

"Zordon and I were able to find a loophole to contact you and Jason, and then bring you two and Skull to the command center. Unfortunately, Rita has managed to seal us off from everyone else. Although, we can re-modulate the teleportation grid one more time to send you back to the front of your school."

"Hey uh, robot? Is Rita's little invisible force field going to last forever?" Skull asked rudely.

"No, it's not permanent, _Eugene_…" Alpha snorted, offended at Skull's lack of manners. Skull stepped over to Alpha five, tightening his hands into fists as if he was going to punch the mechanical entity.

"Please do not physically harm my assistant," Zordon told the grey ranger with a formal tone. "You must remember that you are a Power Ranger, and that means you would not sink so low as to harm one who is valuable to a team that is as important as yours."

Skull gave Zordon a glare that indicated blatant disgust, something that Jason didn't think the goofy troublemaker was capable of.

"Listen you arrogant, self-righteous floating head; I don't care what you or the rest of your team thinks, me and Bulk don't have to follow anyone's rules but our own!" Skull told Jason's mentor angrily. "The only reason why we're willing to team up with your Power Rangers is because we have to. Our duty is to the safety of _our_ people, not helping you settle grudges you got against a bunch of stupid aliens. So don't tell me what to do!"

Zack stepped in front of Skull, looking both surprised and offended at the same time. "Hey, all Zordon told you to do was to not punch Alpha, and that's it!" Zack said to Skull harshly. "What's the big deal with you today?"

"That's my business," Skull told Zack without any sort of respect. "But I'll tell you part of it, it has to do with my other career being put in danger! Now, let's go save Kimberly."

"It's morphin time!" Jason announced with full confidence, holding his morpher in the air, as Zack and Skull did the same.

"Thunder Dragon!" Skull shouted, his morpher lighting with a tense shade of grey.

"Mastodon!" Zack called out, while his own morpher started glowing as well.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason yelled, the device he held initiating the transformation sequence also.

"Alright Alpha, get us over there and let's end this!" Jason said in anticipation. "Guys, let's take down that freak and show Rita that no matter how lethal she thinks her plans are, she'll never win this war she's waging with us!"

Alpha tapped a series of commands into the rear computer console, and watched the rangers exit the command center through the teleportation streams. "Give him hell, rangers!" the automated entity said loudly.

* * *

_I'm bored already_, Bulk thought, lazily exiting school with his backpack hanging over his left shoulder. _Once again, the school staff does nothing to stop me, and-_

The purple ranger cut his train of thought at the sight of an odd-looking teenager jumping out of an open window, carrying Kimberly with him.

"Looks like we got a kidnapper," Bulk said to himself, before calling out to the teen. "Hey kid, where do you think you're going?!"

The strange adolescent merely gave Bulk "the finger" and ran off even quicker. "How 'bout I take that finger right off your hand?" Bulk shouted, placing his hands on his morpher. Bulk stopped at the sound of Goldar yelling at somebody, and noticed that Rita's top soldier was leaping out of the open window himself.

"That's not part of the plan, you idiot!" Goldar nearly bellowed. "Get back here before I-"

Before disappearing from sight, the teenager threw what appeared to be a crimson sphere of energy directly at Goldar, which struck the ape-like creature right in the stomach and caused him to stumble for a minute.

Then, an additional individual hopped from the open section in the school building, this one being a human male, precisely the "teacher's assistant" that he saw before leaving school.

Goldar turned around, and weakly limped over to the peculiar man. "Can't you just die already?!" Goldar groaned miserably. The mysterious individual then punched Goldar in the face, knocking out two of the alien's frontal teeth and causing blue blood to fly out of his mouth.

Goldar fell over on his backside, and passed out within a few moments. "Why didn't Lucien just give me a gun…" he whispered weakly, almost fainting himself.

"You fought Goldar without any powers or weapons, and lived?" Bulk almost laughed. "Given all the weird stuff that's happened lately, something tells me that theory is incorrect."

Bulk then heard something crash on the ground behind him, and turned to see his comrade laying in a dog pile behind him, along with Jason and Zack. All of course, were in their morphed states.

"In case you came to beat up Goldar," Bulk laughed in a way that indicated pity. "He's already down and out. A weird kid shot some kind of attack at him, then this guy punched him in the face. Looks like he was fighting him beforehand too-"

"Bulk, let's save it for later," Zack cut him off midsentence. "Was this weird kid carrying Kimberly?"

"Yeah," the purple ranger answered. "I didn't bother chasing him though, he was too fast, and I can't…uh…" Bulk briefly stopped at the sight of the apparent school staff member, realizing that he couldn't reveal he was a Power Ranger in front of him.

"I mean, I figured you guys would show up and stop him," Bulk continued. "Either that, or the cops would get him sooner or later."

"Damn it," said the red ranger in raw frustration. "We couldn't get here in time, we can't teleport to Zack's house, and if we call the police there they'll-"

"Uh…red ranger?" Skull whispered. "You know Levi's standing here, right? Now isn't a good time to be ranting."

The so-called "Levi" slightly titled his head to the side, staring at Jason with a emotionless look on his face. "Bulk…how do you know these Power Rangers?" the new teacher's assistant asked quietly. "And…how do they know you, and know about Zack?"

Bulk's mind instantly raced for answers, causing him to shake partially in angst. "Well…they're the Power Rangers! They have all kinds of abilities and…things! They might even have gear that let's them know about anyone!" Bulk answered, surprised that he didn't have to lie.

"Whatever," Levi growled in suspicion. "The more important thing is rescuing that girl from Reed…"

"So that's his name," Jason said to his comrades. "Hey Levi, what else do you know about this guy?"

The teacher's aid walked over to the parking lot, his eyes fixated on the cars available for use. "I'll tell you later when we find a way to pursue him," he whispered in response. "We need something we can use…do any of you know how to drive and start up a car without needing the keys?"

"I do!" Bulk and Skull said in unison.

* * *

Kimberly woke from her forced slumber, feeling a sharp pain in her head for whatever reason, one she had no knowledge of at all.

The pink ranger struggled to look at her surroundings, and saw that she was in a room that lacked any sort of light at all, the only exception being the windows that allowed the sunlight to enter.

Kimberly struggled to get up off of the floor, and discovered that her arms and legs were tied together. "Help…? Help?!" she blurted out, struggling against whatever was holding her limbs together.

"You won't get any help here, hee hee hee hee hee!" said an annoying, yet rather disturbing voice. "This is going to be the most fun I've had in years!"

Kimberly trembled at what she was hearing, and gasped when the room's lights were turned on. The gymnast swiftly looked around the room, and realized she was in a garage, particularly the one that belonged to Zack's family.

"Who are you, one of Rita's monsters?" she questioned, her voice filled with both rage and fear.

"I'm not monster," he giggled. "But I _do_ serve Rita…that is, until I get my hands on the power she promised me as a reward for getting rid of you and your friends. Then I can get back at Team Armageddon for what they did to my…precious…"

Kimberly then saw the disturbing teenager looming over her, the same one who confronted her at the lockers. "I hope you realize my friends will come here," she sneered. "And when they do, you're going to wish you were dead by now!"

The teenager held a needle-shaped device in his left hand, and pulled a noticeably large roll of tape in his right. "This thing…this precious, beautiful tool," he said, his voice turning more frightening every second. "It will make you suffer in a way you can't possibly imagine…"

Kimberly then gained the urge to scream as he lowered the device, and felt tears coming out of her eyes when it was within touching distance. "Help! HELP!" Kimberly screamed repeatedly.

"Oh, quiet you!" the adolescent sighed, pulling out a very big piece of the tape from the roll. The severely mentally ill teenager then taped Kimberly's mouth shut as tightly as he could, reducing her screams into muffled noises.

"I wonder how your friends will feel if this actually kills you…" he chuckled sadistically. The needle-like device then began glowing with a vomit-colored light, and he slowly pressed it against her clothing.

Kimberly cried out hopelessly, only hearing muffled incoherent noises instead due to the tape sealed over her mouth. The pink ranger felt the heat from the teenager's object, just as she started to sob knowing her life was minutes away from ending.


End file.
